Safety & Migrant Workers - TUC Commission

Safety & Migrant Workers - TUC Commission

The TUC has set up a new Commission to look into the issues surrounding vulnerable employment. The 16 Commission members are drawn from employer, academic, trade union and civil society backgrounds, bringing with them a wealth of different experiences and perspectives.

The Commission will be producing its final report during 2008. Over future months it will be meeting with people who are in vulnerable work, running a public consultation and undertaking new research.

In the meantime, the TUC has produced a guide for all those concerned with health & safety and vulnerable workers. The issue of the safety of migrant workers in the UK became a national issue when at least 23 workers were killed by rising tides while harvesting cockles in Morecambe Bay.

Since then there have been a number of further individual tragedies, mainly in agriculture and construction. Unfortunately there are no accurate figures on the number of migrant workers who are killed, injured or made ill through work.

However many migrant workers do face specific difficulties and this guide from the TUC has been written to help safety representatives and other union officials work with migrant workers to make sure that their rights are protected.

The Commissions final report due in 2008, will contain recommendations that will consider how government, civil society organisations, employers and trade unions can work together to improve the lives of Britain’s most vulnerable workers.

TUC Commission website

Download TUC Booklet here

Source: TUC