HR Industry News

New measures to combat rogue employers

— 13 September 2007 —

Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton today announced a raft of new measures to crack down on rogue employers who exploit vulnerable workers.

He told the TUC Congress in Brighton the measures would include:

• higher maximum fines for employers who do not pay the National Minimum Wage and twice as much spent enforcing payment.
• double the number of inspectors who crack down on abuses in employment agencies, plus tougher powers to get evidence and unlimited penalties for those they catch.

He called for a new partnership between Government and the Unions:

...to help shine a light into the dark corners of the labour market and rid Britain of practices that have no place in a modern economy" - including a new £3 million fund targeted at equipping unions to help vulnerable workers.John Hutton, Business and Enterprise Secretary

Hutton set out the importance of Agency workers in a flexible labour market but also how important temporary jobs can be in helping the long-term unemployed back to work and pledged a renewed push to reach a fair and lasting EU-wide solution on agency worker rights.

But he said that this and all other policy will only gain his support if it passes two tests:

• Firstly does it protect jobs and advance the fundamental right to work? Will it continue to allow companies to go on creating jobs and promote rising national prosperity?
• And secondly, will it make a positive change to the most vulnerable working people?

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