Temporary Workers Rights

The CIPD’s latest survey, published in their Labour Market Outlook, looked at the implications of the EU Agency Workers Directive. This would grant agency workers equal rights to permanent staff after six weeks.

Asked about the effects of the directive, 37 per cent of employers said they felt it would have a negative impact with another 42 per cent feeling uncertain.

39 per cent said it would change their recruitment strategy, with the majority saying that they would take on fewer agency workers as a result.

Speaking at the report’s launch in Westminster, Alan Duncan, shadow business secretary, said he did not think the directive was good for work or for the economy. “The point is that most people are already protected by a great many pieces of legislation and so, fundamentally, I think there is no need for this”, he said. The TUC general secretary Brendan Barber disagreed, however, and said he wanted the equal treatment to apply from day one of employment. “It’s simple justice that if you are doing the same job then you ought to be entitled to the same rights. If you set a qualifying period of any length then unscrupulous employers will abuse that”, he said.

The full survey is available at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys.

Implementation of this Directive has been opposed by the UK Government and no EU agreement has yet been reached.