Website For Polish Workers Launches
The TUC today (Thursday) launches a new Polish website to support the increasing number of Polish workers in the UK. The website http://www.pracawbrytanii.org - run by the TUC in partnership with Citizens Advice and Solidarnosc - explains the rights workers can expect at work, from the minimum wage and working time to holiday entitlement and sick pay; information about social issues such as housing and health; and guidance about what living and working in the UK is really like.
Since Poland joined the EU in 2004, thousands of Polish workers have come to the UK to make their living, and 222,760 Poles registered for National Insurance numbers in 2006-7. Sadly many of these workers have fallen prey to unscrupulous employers and have been forced to work long hours for little pay, in unsafe workplaces with very few employment rights.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Polish workers are making a substantial contribution to Britain’s economy, and sectors like agriculture and construction would struggle without their valuable contribution.
‘However, some rogue employers are taking advantage of this new, vulnerable workforce, and exploiting their lack of understanding of British working culture and problems with language.
‘It is clear Polish workers need help both to understand and also secure their rights. By using this new website and working with unions, advice agencies and other similar organisations, migrant workers can get all the support and protection from crooked employers they are entitled to.”
The website is supported by a guide ‘Living and working in the UK: Your rights’, written jointly by the TUC and the Citizens Advice service. The guide gives useful advice and tips for new arrivals on living in the UK, and focuses on issues that might cause problems at work. The guide is available in English, and copies in Polish will be available shortly.
There are sections on: housing, council tax, TV licences, energy suppliers, as well as advice on how to access healthcare, open a bank account and find a suitable school. The work part of the guide covers national insurance and tax, the minimum wage, holidays, agency workers, and health and safety. The final pages contain a useful list of contacts that should prove invaluable to new arrivals.
