TUC: 1.2m women trapped in low-paid jobs
Thu 8 May 2008
07/05/2008
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The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has revealed 1.2 million women are trapped in badly paid jobs. Its report found 62 per cent of vulnerable workers are female and in the UK there are two million people "trapped in a continual round of low-paid and insecure work where mistreatment is the norm". The TUC's Commission on Vulnerable Employment said it was shocked that "employment practices attacked as exploitative in the 19th century are still common today" and that the "poor treatment at work that we have found should not be tolerated". Belinda Earl, chief executive of Jaeger, spent time on the commission and was disgusted at what it revealed. "I met with migrant domestic workers, who were being underpaid and exploited - and who faced physical and sexual violence from their employers," she said. "It is unacceptable that these practices exist today and more action is needed to prevent these extreme violations of employment law." The national minimum wage is set by the government and reviewed each year – it is currently £5.52 per hour and will rise to £5.73 in October.
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