What are the conditions and wages of workers who are in that section of the British economy?
FLYNN: The most common thing is low wages. Minimum wages in the UK are currently fixed at just over four pounds an hour. In some parts of the country, where housing costs are lower, it’s possible to manage on that. But in London it’s not. London’s housing costs are huge, so sometimes housing is provided by employers in sort of hostel conditions—people crammed together in an unsanitary and dangerous situation. In construction and agriculture, it’s often provided on-site where discipline is imposed by people known as “gang masters” who are responsible for recruitment, enforcement, and settling disputes. They often do that in a pretty brutal way. They’ve created a completely casual labor force where people turn up in the morning and are hired for the day. What people think will be a day’s work can turn out to be three hours. There’s an expectation that they’ll accept that. There’s no opportunity to complain and trade union involvement in that sector is very weak. It’s been difficult for u
