THE TUC has urged workers to ‘Shop a Scrooge’ this Christmas.
It’s message is dial the National Minimum Wage helpline – 0845 6000 678, and help to put a stop to unscrupulous bosses not paying the minimum wage this Christmas.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘There should be no hiding place for bosses who are deliberately cheating their workers out of the minimum wage.’
The TUC insists that at least 145,000 workers who are eligible for the minimum wage are currently being underpaid.
The TUC believes this exploitation is unacceptable at any time of the year, but particularly at Christmas when many people have even more financial pressures than normal.
Barber added: ‘If you know somebody who is not being paid the minimum wage, now is the time to help them.
‘If you know a Scrooge employer who is not paying workers a decent wage for a fair day’s work, now is the time to report them.
‘The government is putting more money into enforcing the minimum wage and increasing the penalties for rogue bosses underpaying their staff.
‘We can all help to “Shop a Scrooge” and bring justice to all those being abused by unscrupulous employers this Christmas.’
According to the TUC, the following industries have a high concentration of low paid workers, where underpayment is most often found: hotels, restaurants, retail clothing and footwear manufacture, hairdressing, security, cleaning, social care and childcare.
The National Minimum Wage Inspectorate investigates all the complaints that they receive by phone, email or post from named workers.
They also take anonymous complaints and complaints made by third parties, so it’s possible to complain on behalf of friends or relatives, or for managers to complain about rip-off employers undercutting them.
Lesley, a homeworker from Yorkshire, recently told the TUC: ‘I only get around £2-£3 an hour for my work, as I am paid by the number of items I complete – I get 60p for a pair of trousers, which retail at £12. It’s impossible to make more than a few an hour, as they are complicated with pleats and tucks.’
Daniel (name has been changed) came from Poland to work in England and told the TUC: ‘I really struggled to find work when I came here.
‘I finally found a job in a small pizza shop. I didn’t get a contract and was only being paid about £2-£3 an hour. I worked 70 hours a week without any breaks, and I wasn’t allowed any holiday for 20 months. I told my employer I wanted my rights and he sacked me on the spot.
‘I didn’t know what to do or where to turn to for help, and I ended up homeless and living on the streets.’
Dave Wiltshire, secretary of the All Trades Union Alliance commented to News Line: ‘I am all for shopping a scrooge. But it will take more than that to end low pay, since it is a fact that we have a scrooge government.
‘The TUC must take action to smash the low wage economy that it has allowed Blair and Brown to develop in the UK.
‘We all know that this is not going to be done by some government appointed inspectorate.
‘The TUC must call its seven million members out on strike to smash the government’s wage freezing and wage cutting policies.
‘What is required is a 10 per cent wage rise for all, just to keep pace with inflation.
‘This is what I want to see in the New Year.
‘Smashing the “scrooge bosses” means bringing down their Brown government, and bringing in a workers government.
‘This is what must be done to get rid of the scourge of low pay and scrooge employers.’
