The notion that workers are “systematically coerced into working on a flexible basis” needs to be dispelled. So says Simon Noakes, chair of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Construction Group. His comments follow union UCATT’s letter to the Olympic Development Authority (ODA), seeking reassurances about working practices after the REC claimed that there was a need for a “flexible workforce” on the Olympic Games (www. recruiter.co.uk, 19 January).