New rights for agency workers on the horizon

The Prime Minister has committed to introducing new laws to give agency workers employment rights similar to permanent staff.

The Agency Workers legislation has been a thorn in freelancers' sides for some time, as they fear they could be swept by the proposals and it could impose rights on them that they do not want, making them less attractive to potential clients.

Europe had several unsuccessful attempts to give employment rights to agency or temporary workers. This was followed by a recent Private Members' Bill in the UK and intensive lobbying by the trade unions.

Some groups believe that freelancers would - or should - be excluded from the provisions - but until the Government's draft legislation is in the public domain, no-one is certain how far reaching the measures will be.

Legislation

Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has previously signalled his sympathy towards the unions' position. However, in his draft legislation programme he has now backed that support with an intention to legislate.

He told the House of Commons: "We are committed to both flexibility and fairness in the workplace and we will do nothing that jeopardises jobs and businesses taking on new workers, but most people agree that it is not fair that, even after months in a job, agency workers can currently be paid less than the staff they work alongside, and as a result permanent staff can feel they are being unfairly undercut.

"Therefore, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform plans to bring forward legislation—subject to an agreement between employers and employees, and in Europe—that will for the first time ensure new rules for fair treatment of agency workers in Britain."

The TUC welcomed the initiative. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "I welcome the Prime Minister's clear recognition that agency workers get a raw deal, and that there is a need to make life fairer for agency workers. Unions will now step up their campaign to secure proper protection and a fair deal for agency workers."