MIGRANT WORKERS 'BOOSTING ECONOMY'

The TUC said its research countered accusations from the far right that immigrants are a drain on the welfare state.

According to the study, migrant workers are paying more in taxes than the value of the public services they receive.

The arrival of migrant workers has not depressed jobs or wages although there is "limited evidence" of some local effect on pay and employment for low-skilled workers.

"To ensure we continue with that good performance, we need to ensure unscrupulous employers stop taking advantage of migrant workers' lack of knowledge of their rights and poor English.

"The solution is to crack down on the minority of bad employers by properly enforcing employment rights such as the minimum wage and closing loopholes such as the poor protection enjoyed by agency workers."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said migrant workers are making a "substantial contribution" to Britain's economy, adding: "They haven't caused mass unemployment or held wages down as some would have us believe."

Mr Barber said more needed to be done to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation and said that if migrant workers are treated fairly and paid a decent wage, they can only add to the economy and pose no threat to the rest of the workforce.