Migrant workers also have rights

THE unspoken allegation involved in a company found putting workers' lives at risk on a Sheffield building site, is whether advantage was being taken of migrant workers who were found scrambling across the thin roof of a building with no safety equipment.

The managing director of the Middlesex based company, to his credit, accepted they had let their staff down and had been in the wrong. He said he felt let down by supervision staff because safety equipment was on site, but had not been used.

There must have been a communication issue because none of the Polish workers on the roof spoke English. And that poses the question whether companies do enough to deal properly with these workers or whether they see them as docile individuals who will do what they are asked, no questions asked.

Companies must be forced to realise that migrant workers are not cheap, easily manipulated alternatives to local labour. They have rights - and infringing them comes with a hefty price tag.

Websites must be strictly controlled

WELL done to South Yorkshire police for persuading an internet firm to close down an outrageous site which was being used by Sheffield youngsters to glorify violence by posing with knives and guns. Some credit must also go to the site owners who had taken steps even before the police intervention to remove the images.

However, it should not be necessary for a public outcry - led by The Star which highlighted the problem last week - before action is taken. Such websites should do more about any control policies they have in place. They must ensure they are strictly enforced.

How bargains evolve

AT last it's official...women really were born to shop. Scientists have discovered that evolution is responsible and that women will always remember the best way to find fruit, veg and high-calorie foodstuffs. Funnily enough, no mention there of their extraordinary ability to find their way to the new season fashion too!