EU fights for rights for temp workers
EU proposals to give temporary workers similar rights as employed staff took a step nearer this week as Ministers debate the new legislation.
Britain has opposed the move on previous occasions and four years ago, it was defeated. But, with the rotating Presidency, there was always an opportunity to reintroduce it.
The pressure comes from European trade unions who are concerned that lower-paid temporary workers are forced to move to these contracts so that employers can avoid their employment rights.
The rights would apply to workers hired through an agency or other third party and would take effect a maximum of six weeks after a worker has been hired.
Freelancers
Freelancers in the UK, where the agency/freelancer market is much more mature than in other parts of Europe, have consistently expressed their concern that this would deter end-clients from using their services if the legislation is too wide-ranging.
John Hutton, the Business Secretary, is trying to persuade fellow EU ministers to put off a vote on the plans, but Britain is losing many of its allies.
The TUC has been urging the Government to end its opposition to the temporary agency workers' directive, as it believes 'agency workers have been vulnerable to real injustice for far too long'.
Alan Duncan, the Tory business spokesman described it as 'yet another EU attempt to impose a 'one size fits all' solution', and big business group, the CBI, claimed 'a quarter of a million UK jobs are on the line'.
Agency body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said: "There simply is not the abuse on the ground to support the need for this directive."
A decision is expected this week.
Update: Latest development - Delayed
The British government gained a delay to the controversial directive. A majority of the European Employment Ministers supported the initiative, but the British Government, together with countries such as Germany and Malta, succeeded in blocking it.
The legislation will be discussed again in 2008.