TUC launches campaign to protect vulnerable workers

The TUC has launched the "One-in- Five" campaign at this year's Congress to protect millions of workers who face exploitation from unscrupulous employers.

According to a report, written for the TUC by the independent Policy Studies Institute, one in five workers - around 5.3 million people - earn below one third of the median hourly wage and do not have a trade union to negotiate their terms and conditions.

"Many - though by no means all - are migrant workers," said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber at the campaign's launch. "Some are home workers. Some work through employment agencies. Some work for cash in hand."

Recommendations to deal with the issue include early implementation of the EU Temporary Agency Workers Directive; licensing for all employment agencies; extending union recognition rights to small employers and enforcing employment rights such as the minimum wage.

"At least 150,000 people - and possibly a lot more - are not getting the minimum wage. Even more are not getting their proper paid holiday rights, including bank holidays," said Barber.

The campaign will also target exploitative employers who stay within the law, through practices such as sacking people just before they had worked for 12 months so they can not claim unfair dismissal.

Barber also said that migrant workers should be welcomed and made clear the TUC's opposition to restricting Bulgarian and Romanian workers when their countries join the EU, stressing the need not to "put up the shutters".