Migrant workers are being shortchanged by enforced ‘self-employment’ status, says the GMB trade union.
The GMB yesterday called on aircraft services company Swissport to directly employ the migrant workforce supplied to them from eastern Europe by agencies that take a large cut of the migrant workers’ earnings for accommodation and fees.
These mainly Polish, male workers are employed on the check-ins and baggage handling ramps at Stansted by Swissport.
They do not receive sick pay, holiday pay or other normal items that the directly employed workers receive because of their enforced self-employed status.
The GMB is obtaining legal opinion on the employment status of these workers under their current employment arrangements.
The union believes that as they can work only for the single employer, and lose their accommodation if they leave the job with Swissport, that they cannot be classified as self-employed.
The GMB said: ‘The migrant workers are supplied to Swissport by Labour Source Limited an agency operating out from Walthamstow, London, which insists that they work as self-employed labour through another agency, Nova Corporate Services Ltd Leeds, which sets up their self-employed status as an individual limited company and deals with tax and National insurance etc.
‘A third agency, Labour Source Ltd from Ruislip, Middlesex, puts the migrant workers into accommodation and charges them £183 per week rent and an agency fee of £250 after taking a deposit of £1,650 which they lose if they leave the job.
‘After paying their rent, utilities bills and other associated costs they are left with approximately £250 per month for food and personal living expenses.
‘A further problem facing these migrant workers is that the accommodation is in Takley, Essex, and without transport the workers are forced to walk the three miles to the airport along unlit country lanes in the early hours of the morning.’
Gary Pearce, GMB Organiser said: ‘GMB is asking Swissport to openly condemn the treatment of these migrant workers both at work and in their accommodation and to take them into direct employment with the company.
‘In that way they will be entitled to the whole package of pay and conditions that GMB has negotiated for the directly employed workforce.
‘Self-employed people have the freedom to work where and when they want and so these workers are losing out on both fronts.
‘They have no freedom to keep the money they earn or the freedom to work and live where they want to.
‘If Swissport did this, these workers could then afford to arrange their own accommodation and cut out the money deducted by the agencies that are taking a cut of everything they earn.’