It is funded by the government, but editorially independent. MED TV is the world s only Kurdish- language TV station, watched by thousands in eastern Turkey. In May, authorities in London shut down a Web site containing names of more than 100 secret intelligence operatives, posted by a former MI6 agent. In May 1999, the government introduced a draft Freedom of Information bill, allowing public access to a wide range of information previously denied, including police data. Several exclusionary clauses were attached to the bill, including information regarding national security, defense, international resolutions, safety of the individual and the public, commercial interests, and law enforcement.
British workers are free to form and join independent trade unions.
A 1998 Fairness at Work bill proposes to boost worker rights and improve union recognition. It also grants unions automatic recognition where 50 percent of workers in a workplace are union members or if 40 percent of workers support recognition. A national minimum wage policy was introduced in April 1999, establishing a graduated pay scale based on age. Criticism of British immigration policy continued in 1999. In June, human rights and refugee groups criticized the new British Immigration and Asylum Bill, claiming the new law will increase poverty among foreigners in Britain.