A NEW book of "horror" stories is published today - to mark the 10th anniversary of Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit.

Workers' Voices is a collection of accounts of the working lives and experiences of people who have contacted the unit for help and advice.

And the unit says it is a graphic reminder that many people at the end of the 20th century suffer working conditions that would have had their Victorian counterparts up in arms.

The stories include:

A homeworker assembling components for window blinds; it takes her about 48 hours to put together 10,000 units, for which she is paid £36. She suffers from repetitive strain injury but cannot give up her work because she needs the money.

And a couple who between them have six part-time jobs in order to keep their heads above water. When the husband eventually landed a full-time job he found himself working around 90 hours over a seven-day week.

The stories, say the unit, are typical of those told over and over again by the people who contact them.

Last year the average hourly pay rate for workers who contacted the unit about pay problems was £2.58 for women and £2.48 for men. Other major issues raised by workers include contracts, maternity, redundancy, dismissal, holidays, deductions from wages, notice, sickness, tax and National Insurance.

Copies of Workers' Voices, priced £5. and the free Workers' Charter, are available from Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit, 23 New Mount Street, Manchester M4 4DE. Alternatively ring 0161 953 4024.

Co-ordinator of the unit, Gabrielle Cox, said: "Britain stands alone in Europe, and amongst the majority of industrialised countries, in its failure to provide a basic framework or protection for workers.

"It is shocking that employers can pay workers less than £1 an hour, that there are no rights to holidays, and that employees with less than two years' service can be dismissed at a whim."

To coincide with the book launch the unit is also launching a Workers' Charter, which calls for the following rights by the year 2000:

A national minimum wage, including overtime rates.

The right to paid annual holidays and Bank Holidays.

A maximum working week and the right to breaks during the working day.

Protection from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment.

Stronger and more comprehensive protection against discrimination.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.