MANY people in Worcester are unaware of their basic employment rights - and the situation is becoming worse.

Last year, more than 3,000 people in the city contacted the Worcester Citizen's Advice Bureau to ask a question concerning basic employment rights.

The apparent lack of knowledge in the city is an area of concern for Michael Gardner, manager of the Worcester CAB, who said the number of enquiries was rising.

This year there was an 11 per cent rise in the number of employment-related questions, compared with last year.

"Based upon the number of people contacting us to seek advice on employment issues, it seems that many employees, and some employers, are unaware of their basic rights," said Mr Gardner.

"One of the most frequently asked questions is about the right to holiday pay and it may be worthwhile to mention that all employees are entitled to four weeks' paid holiday a year."

He said the situation seemed to be becoming worse because of the number of new directives being issued by the European Commission, which could be confusing.

"The legislation is becoming more complex as there have been a lot of new directives from Europe. People do get confused ."

Mr Gardner thought the directives, which contained complex rules and regulations, could be better communicated by the Government.

"They over-complicate things. I wonder if the Government's communication channels are as good as they should be."

He said most of the issues should be covered in the written terms and conditions of employment that should be given to every employee within two months of starting a job.

"As a minimum, this statement should show the job title, a brief summary of duties, hours of work, pay notice period, holiday allowance and sick pay arrangements. It may also show other details, such as access to a grievance procedure."

Employment-related enquiries made up 13 per cent of the 23,185 enquiries received last year by the CAB, now situated in the Hopmarket.

"Obviously, some employment problems are more complex than others and the bureau's advisers are able to give help and advice on these problems," added Mr Gardner.

Forinformation phone 01905 21907.