TUC helps Poles know their rights

London-based Polish workers in the cleaning, security and building services sectors are being offered free training in workplace rights, union membership, building links with community groups, and providing advice to other workers and community members.

The training, available to workers in Tower Hamlets and the City of London, is being provided under the TUC-led Vulnerable Workers Project (VWP), with funding from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).

TUC research has revealed that workers who come to London from the “A8” states – those that joined the European Union in 2004 – are the lowest-paid in the capital, with three-quarters of them earning less than £6 an hour.

Poles, who make up around two-thirds of these A8 workers, also fare badly in terms of employment rights – the TUC has found that 25% do not have a written contract of employment, and many face problems such as unlawful deductions from wages, inadequate rest breaks and a lack of holiday pay.

For details of the courses on offer, call VWP project manager Bob Blyth on 020 7467 1355.