We’re organising a meeting with TUC/BERR Vulnerable Workers Project on 10th February, 2-4pm at Tower Hamlets Law Centre. The meeting will look at what might be done to increase the options of workers in the informal economy moving into the formal economy.
The part of the informal economy that we are focusing on is the situation in which employers enable or facilitate cash-in-hand and informal working.
Discussion with a number of agencies working in the field points to a model in which people could be signposted within their community to confidential one-to-one advice on their entitlements, including welfare and in-work benefits, employment rights and training options.
The meeting will discuss what such a model might look like and consider partners’ initial views; it is simply exploratory we are not asking organisations for any commitment, at this stage. The meeting is being organised by the TUC/BERR Vulnerable Workers Project (VWP) with support from Community Links. The VWP pilot project aims to demonstrate good practice in ensuring workers can secure their employment rights. There is a clear overlap here as employment legislation does not cover workers in the informal economy – leaving them vulnerable to some of the worst examples of exploitation. The VWP will report to Government after March and we hope to include partners’ views on how worthwhile such an approach might be, and, in broad terms, what a model may look like.
We are hoping to get a coalition of community organisations, statutory agencies and unions at the meeting on 10th February, 2-4pm. contact me for more informatin and, if you know of an agency who might be interested, then please pass this on. Any questions or if you need more information please don’t hesitate to contact us.
P.S. VWP have also produced a really useful document: ‘10 Top Tips to Prevent Yourself Being Exploited at Work’ . Bob Blyth at VWP has agreed this can be circualted widely. Please use it, and pass it on.
