WRITING about a law protecting agency workers that won’t be introduced until 2011 (Oxford Mail, January 22) isn’t news – unless you’re talking about BMW.

This company makes a fortune exploiting agency workers through lower wages, no pension rights and sacking at will, as demonstrated last February.

Then BMW told us that sacked agency workers were “temps”. But most of them had worked there for two years, many for more than five.

Almost without exception, BMW had promised them a permanent contract – sooner or later. Referring to the 850 sackings, you report, “almost all those jobs have been replaced”.

But how can someone be a replacement when he’s getting his old job back again after several months on the dole, as was invariably the case?

As for the sacking of seven agency workers (with many more to come) reported as “providing holiday cover”, this is rubbish.

In fact they have had regular shifts, but are now being made redundant owing to speed-ups and automation.

Of course, BMW can say that it plays to rules set up by the Government.

Lax employment laws lie at the heart of Labour’s love affair with big business.

But judging by its silence on the matter, Labour would rather lose the next election than do anything that would show that they’re on the side of ordinary workers.

Even if it did pass an agency employment law, it would only be guaranteeing rights that BMW has observed in Germany for many years.

NORMAN ROBINSON, ex-BMW agency worker(eight years service as a ‘temp’), Oxford