A group of Polish workers has won a “groundbreaking” employment case which will affect thousands of agency staff” Unite said yesterday.

The tribunal ruled in favour of workers in the food processing industry who argued they were not being provided with their full employment rights because they were classed as self-employed rather than permanent employees. The workers, who were based in Cheshire, claimed unfair dismissal against employment agency Consistent after being evicted from their accommodation when they lost their jobs.

Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, said: “This judgment is an unequivocal statement on the employment rights of agency workers.  There are thousands of workers across Britain who are subject to appalling treatment because of agency exploitation of their vulnerability, and this judgment has blown their so-called ’self-employed’ status out of the water. The case highlights the ‘race to the bottom’ on wages and conditions in Britain’s workplaces that is allowing unscrupulous employers to take advantage of the worst aspects of the flexible labour market.”

Filed under: Uncategorized