Employment relations minister Jim Fitzpatrick (pictured) has called on unions, businesses and workers to pass on evidence of abuse of vulnerable workers to a joint enforcement body which met for the first time today.

The Vulnerable Worker Enforcement Forum has been set up by Alistair Darling to crack down on abuses of workplace rights. It will consider whether abuses are tackled effectively through existing enforcement and support mechanisms or whether improvements to existing mechanisms or new approaches are needed to raise compliance without increasing burdens for good employers. It will have a dedicated email address, [email protected], to collect evidence.

Fitzpatrick said: "I want anyone with evidence to send it to us. We will consider it alongside the evidence from unions and employers and the experiences of our front line enforcement agencies."

Jim Fitzpatrick will chair the Forum, which is made up of representatives from The TUC and the main unions, CBI, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and Ctizens Advice.

It also has representatives from HM Revenue, the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmaster Licensing Authority and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.