Industry under scrutiny over bogus self-employment

Consultation documents have been posted out to trade unions and federations this week in a bid to tackle the issue of bogus self employed.

The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (EFBWW) want the industry to respond to just how much impact bogus workers have on its businesses.

The DTI document, which asks unions to highlight the main pitfalls from temporary workers, the bogus self-employed and the rights of workers on site, has to be completed by the end of August.

It is hoped that feedback from the document will highlight the dangers to the government of having unskilled workers, many migrant and English non-speaking, on site.

TGWU national secretary Bob Blackman said: "This is a good opportunity to paint the picture of how this problem is blighting our industry. The problems have been generated since labour agencies have had a free playing field after the employment legislation was scrapped in 1987. Back in 1978 there was tough legislation to prevent agencies providing potential bogus workers."

The EFBWW document, which comes in the form of an extensive questionnaire, is designed to monitor and home in on migrant construction workers across Europe.