Migrant Workers 'Exploited' Claim TUC

Thousands of Polish and Lithuanian workers are being exploited at work in the UK, the TUC has claimed in a new report.

Since 2004, when ten new states joined the EU, more than 475,000 Polish and Lithuanian workers have come to work in the UK.

The TUC surveyed 508 workers and found that most had found insecure and poorly paid employment, with more than half of those surveyed encountering problems at work.

A quarter of the workers surveyed reported having no written contract - a figure which rose to nearly a third amongst agency workers. Over a quarter had also faced problems with payment - including not being paid for hours worked, discrepancies between pay and payslips, unauthorised deductions and errors in pay calculation.

The study also found that ten times as many migrant workers as indigenous workers were paid less than the minimum wage.

The TUC also said that nearly a third of workers were living in accommodation rented from their employers and described excessive hours - due to their employment being linked to where they lived - and poor living conditions as a result.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "This study reveals systematic abuse of migrant workers which is tantamount to modern day slavery. Too many unscrupulous bosses are getting rich by exploiting migrant workers and the full force of the law should be used against those profiting from such appalling ill treatment.

"Everyone should be treated fairly and with dignity and respect at work, wherever they come from."

(KMcA/SP)