SACKED Mersyide dockers and a man dismissed for trying to form a union will spearhead a major conference on casual and agency labour this weekend.

The event, being staged tomorrow (Sat Sept 20) is being organised by Bury, Radcliffe and District Trades Union Council (TUC).

The conference takes place between 1-5pm, is being staged at the Waterloo Hotel in Manchester Road, Bury.

Addressing the audience will be Nigel Cook who was employed by a Blackburn packaging company. It is claimed he was sacked for trying to organise a union.

A delegation of Merseyside dockers will also speak. These workers were sacked two years ago for refusing to cross a picket line in a dispute with Merseyside Docks and Harbour Company over the introduction of casual labour.

Also addressing the conference will be a speaker from Corporate Watch, an organisation looking into how multi-national corporations operate - particularly within the currently deregularised labour market.

In addition, there will be a number of workshops on various aspects of casual and agency labour aimed at developing a strategy for combating what the TUC describes as "some of the worst excesses of such work."

Brian Marden, local TUC secretary, said: "We are encouraged by the TUC's call for the abolition of casual labour.

"However, there is a need to act now to confront some of the worst employment practises which have developed in the current economic climate.

"Although the conference is designed towards casual and agency labour, we recognise many workers are employed in a variety of sweat shops throughout the borough without the right to trade union recognition and, in many cases, without any employment rights," he added.

"Experts will be on hand to assist people in such circumstances and we will be looking towards developing an ongoing campaign for employment rights for all people in work."

Through the TUC's links with Bury Unemployed Workers' Centre, which is co-sponsoring the event, the TUC say they have become aware of many "horror stories" concerning local employment practises which will be highlighted at the conference.

Saturday's event is open to all irrespective of workplace and registration, which is free, will be available on the day.

The conference comes after a recent survey by Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit revealed nearly nine out of ten agency workers were non-unionised and over a quarter of staff did not have a written statement of terms and conditions.

And only 13 per cent of workers received paid holidays or sick pay from the agency.

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