Anti-racist campaigners and trade unionists accused the government of gross hypocrisy over its stance on migrant workers yesterday.

GMB and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) accused the coalition of demonising immigrants from eastern Europe while at the same time making it easier for employers to exploit foreign labour.

At a meeting in Brussels on Monday EU member states agreed to water down proposals on the Posting of Workers Enforcement Directive.

The directive specifically deals with terms and conditions for citizens of one member state when working in other member states.

GMB European officer in Brussels Kathleen Walker Shaw said "UK employers are actively recruiting workers either directly or via temporary agencies from EU countries with lower wages and social contributions to boost their profits at the expense of exploited workers.

"The UK government at the meeting pressed for even further watering down in the directive. They did not want to restrict the ability of business to abuse vulnerable posted workers from other EU countries and to run down pay and conditions in Britain at will."

The only way to stop the exploitation of British and migrant workers is "to level up rather than calling for workers across Europe to be sold off to the lowest bidder in a race to the bottom of pay and conditions," GMB argued.

And Weyman Bennett of UAF told the Star: "We are against attempts to divide British and migrant workers while punishing both with austerity and low wages and conditions.

"Wages in this country have gone down by 8.5 per cent. The people driving them down are from Eton, not Bulgaria or Hungary. The government is playing the race card in an attempt to garner votes."

UAF is among those behind a mass rally in London for UN anti-racism day on March 22 calling for an end to the scapegoating of immigrants and Islamophobia.

For further information visit uaf.org.uk