UK Home workers' Christmas campaign

Date published: 17 November 2004

A Christmas campaign, launched by the National Group on Home working, is being supported by Rochdale Home working Development Project. And local people can give their backing too. The "Bang out of Order!" campaign aims to improve working conditions for people working at home. The campaign will drive home the messages that:

• Home working makes a significant contribution to the UK economy
• It is decent work and a positive choice, offering employment to
  those who may be unable to work outside the home.
• Exploitation of home workers takes place in the UK and across the
  globe.
• UK legislation fails to protect home workers
• UK Retailers' purchasing practices fail to ensure UK home workers
  receive minimum employment rights.

The campaign focuses on some major UK retailers, in particular the 'Big Four' supermarkets; Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Safeway (Morrisons), whose supply chains include home workers.

The campaign logo is a Christmas Cracker, because 400 home workers making crackers lost their jobs when they made a claim for National Minimum Wage. The crackers were then sent to be made in China, but are sold in the stores of major UK retailers.

Staff from Rochdale Home working Development Project will be bringing the campaign to Rochdale outdoor market on Thursday 18 November. They will be talking to local people about the issues faced by home workers in UK today.

People will have the opportunity to sign a petition, and fill in action cards which will be sent to companies asking what measures they are taking to ensure that their suppliers protect home workers' livelihoods and respect their rights. These will be delivered to the major supermarkets to be forwarded to their head offices.

Everyone visiting the display will also be invited to send letters to the Government asking for home workers' rights to be enforced. A loophole within current employment legislation allows employers to incorrectly classify home workers as self-employed or casual workers, thus denying them employment rights.