Recently, it has been announced that the Government, the TUC and the CBI have reached agreement on proposed legislation to give agency workers a limited right to “equal treatment” with directly-employed employees.
It is proposed that after an assignment lasts 12 weeks or more, the agency worker’s basic terms and conditions must be comparable to those enjoyed by the employer’s permanent staff.
This would cover basic terms such as salary, holiday entitlement etc, but not sick pay entitlement or pension rights. The CBI suggest that around half of agency placements last for less than 12 weeks so would not be affected by these proposed changes.
Once these measures are implemented, there will be additional cause for businesses to review carefully their use of agency staff, and put proper policies in place to minimise the risks of claims. The precise detail of the proposal has not been announced yet. If you use agency staff, you should consider carefully the position once the final proposals are issued.
Contact
Caroline Carr or David Hoey