An excellent article was carried in today's Observer business section highlighting the abuse and unequal treatment of vunerable, agency and temporary workers in the UK based on a report commisioned by the TUC.
Given that most people have family members or know somebody who is an agency worker these days, if the Prime Minister wants to "listen and learn" (listen to whom and learn from whom Gordon?) then he could take immediate steps to introduce the EU Temporary & Agency Workers Directive into UK law - pretty damn quick.
After last week's bloodbath at the polls it would be a popular and sensible move that would show that the Government have got or is getting the message....
Check out the article @
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/may/04/workandcareers.worklifebalance
About Tony Burke
Tony Burke is an Assistant General Secretary at the UK and Ireland's biggest trade union, Unite the Union.
Unite was formed on 1st May, 2007 by a merger of Amicus and TGWU. He heads up the Unite GPM sector, leading a team of experienced full time National and Regional Officers covering the Print, Paper, Packaging, Newspapers, Publishing and Media industries.
Tony was Deputy General Secretary of the print, paper and media union the GPMU until it merged, with the skills and professional union Amicus in 2004. Tony is a member of the General Council and Executive Committee of the TUC and also a number of senior committee’s of the global union Union Network International (UNI) Graphical; a member of the Executive Committee of the European Chemical, Energy and Mineworkers Federation; the chair of the TUC's Organising Academy Board; a member of the board of Vision In Print And Packaging and a trade union appointed member of the board of COGENT - the sector skills council for the Chemical, Oil, Pharmaceutical, Energy and Nuclear Industries. He is also a member of the Board Of Management of The Peoples Press Printing Society.
This blog will contain news from Unite, graphical, paper and media unions throughout Europe and the world and news and comment on industrial relations issues important to Unite members, managers and our industries. Feel free to comment on the issues that are posted here.