Help for “vulnerable
working students”

THE TUC has set up a new Commission to look into the issues surrounding vulnerable employment, and the NUS urges all working students to take heed.

The 16 Commission members are drawn from employer, academic, trade union and civil society backgrounds, bringing with them a wealth of different experiences and perspectives. The Commission will be producing its final report during 2008. Over future months it will be meeting with people who are in vulnerable work, running a public consultation and undertaking new research.

Responding to the TUC’s Commission on Vulnerable Employment, NUS Vice President for Welfare, Ama Uzowuru, said: “This is an extremely valuable report. NUS firmly agrees with the Commission that agency workers should be entitled to the same employment rights as directly employed staff.

“With nearly two thirds of all full-time students now having to work to support their studies, NUS has long argued for an end to the exploitation of agency workers. We also need to make sure that all workers are aware of their rights - unfortunately, many agency workers may even be unaware that they are being exploited.”

The report states that many vulnerable workers suffer because they do not legally count as ‘employees’ with a contract of employment. Those considered simply as ‘workers’ or who have been forced into bogus self-employment not only have few rights, but lack any security, meaning that employers can sack them if they complain. Working through an agency can also create similar uncertainty and precariousness at work.

Immigration status is complex and can act to make workers more vulnerable by making them entirely dependent on their employers.

Back to top