Unite: Union leader urges government to act now to protect agency workers
In response to the sacking of 850 agency workers by BMW, Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, has called on the government to act now to protect agency workers.
The Agency Workers Directive has now been agreed in Europe and there is nothing to stop the UK Government from acting now to protect 1 million agency workers in the UK.
The current economic downturn is exposing just how vulnerable agency workers are. Agency workers in the UK can be sacked without any notice. They have no rights to redundancy pay, sick pay or holiday pay.
Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite said:
“There is nothing to stop the UK government acting now to protect agency workers. The disgraceful sacking of 850 agency workers at BMW’s Mini plant shows just how vulnerable these workers are to the current economic down-turn. Employers treat them as second class citizens, they have no rights to redundancy pay, sick pay or holiday pay.
“There are currently 1 million agency workers in the UK who can be sacked without any notice. Agency workers have family commitments, they have to find money every month to put food on the table and pay the mortgage just like full time workers. The current inequalities between agency workers and full-time employees must end.
ENDS
Contact: Ciaran Naidoo 07768 931 315
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