Brown wants to make progress on temp rights

Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has told trade union leaders that he wants to make progress on rights for agency workers.

The Prime Minister met a TUC delegation to consider agency worker rights, after there had been strong support for a Private Members Bill to give employment rights to temporary and agency workers. This initiative also has considerable support across Europe. But the concern for many freelancers in the UK is that they would be swept up in any legislation giving them workers' rights that they do not want and making them a less attractive resource to clients.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "The Prime Minister recognised the importance of the issue and the problems that many agency workers face. Gordon Brown reassured us that he wants to make progress on this vital issue.

"We need to consider very carefully the best mechanism to achieve this."

Commission

It was reported in the media that the Government is proposing a Commission of inquiry to see if agreement can be reached between the unions and the CBI, who have consistently opposed this issue. The CBI is opposed to any employment rights for agency staff for their first 12 months of employment. The trade unions want the employment right to apply to agency staff from day one.

Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary said: "It is incredibly premature for the Government to be talking about setting up a Commission, with an independent chairman, to study the issue of agency workers' rights.

"What is being offered so far is a second-hand fairy tale, which certainly does not have a happy ending. If every other country in Europe is prepared to give agency workers rights, why should we have to put up with being second or third class citizens? The Government is trying to appease the business lobby."