Getting tough with the gangmasters

Polish newspapers have recently reported cases of abuse of Poles working in western Europe, such as employers taking their passports and not allowing them to leave their jobs.

"The British government is stepping up initiatives to stop the exploitation of Polish and other workers," the British embassy in Warsaw said in a statement.

"This will mean that exploitative employers can no longer hold workers to ransom and keep them virtual prisoners in the workplace by holding onto their documents."

Britain was one of the few 'old' EU members to open its labor market to workers from new members of the bloc. So far some 232,000 citizens from the 10 European Union newcomers have registered to work in Britain in the 14 months after EU enlargement in May 2004, including about 125,000 Poles.

Gazeta Wyborcza recently published reports of migrant tomato pickers in Italy, including Poles, who were housed in windowless barracks in 'camps' surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards.

Earlier, there were reports that a Polish worker had organized an impromptu labor union in a hypermarket in Ireland in protest against having to carry heavy loads.

The British press have carried numerous stories about rogue 'gangmasters' who recruit migrant workers, especially for seasonal farm labor, keep them in cramped living conditions on low pay, and flout tax and insurance rules.

"The government is bringing forward legislation which would make it an offence punishable by up to two years imprisonment for anyone, including employers, to hold onto passports or other forms of ID not belonging to them without good reason," the British embassy statement said.

The British government has said the inflow of workers from EU newcomers is manageable and brings economic benefit to the host country, contrary to the view that immigrants take jobs away from locals. (Reuters)