TRADE union bosses have vowed to ensure that Eastern European workers in Hyndburn are not being exploited in their jobs.

Express Gifts, a mail-order firm based in Henry Street, Church, has provoked concern by employing hundreds of immigrant workers to cover its busy festive period.

But the firm has insisted that they are on the same pay and conditions as local people.

Now Amicus, the UK's largest private sector union, has targeted the mainly Polish workers to ensure they are being adequately protected.

Amicus regional secretary Kevin Coyne said: "We are here to support Polish migrant workers and ensure they are not faced with problems such as low pay and poor terms and conditions.

"We want to prevent employers using migrant labour to undercut hard-fought workplace standards in the UK."

Joining Amicus in their bid to protect the workers is Tomasz Laskowski, a national organiser from the Polish trade union Solidarnosc.

This year Express Gifts has employed an extra 900 seasonal staff to deal with the increased demand for its products over the festive period.

Of those, 600 are from the local area and 300 were recruited, through employment agencies, from Poland and other Eastern European countries.

The company has been criticised for not employing more local people.

A spokesman for Express Gifts said: "The staff recruited from Eastern Europe have been employed through agencies for the simple reason that we could not fill the vacancies locally."

He refuted any allegations that the migrant workers were being treated poorly adding: "They are on the same pay and conditions as local staff."

Express Gifts, the largest company within the Findel plc group, is one of the UK's leading mail order companies selling a wide range of greeting cards, gifts, home and garden items through its Studio and Ace catalogues.

The firm also has a call centre on Clayton-le-Moors Business Park that deals with customers' orders and accounts.