Government Campaign on Agency Workers' Rights

In an effort to root out rogue employment agencies and employers who do not obey the laws governing the rights of agency workers, the Government has launched a campaign to make agency workers aware of their rights and to help employers know their responsibilities. This includes a poster campaign in public places and online and newspaper advertising. In addition, the Minister for Employment Relations, Pat McFadden, has written to over 13,000 employment agencies to outline how they can make sure they are complying with the law.

The campaign will complement the work of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS), which is part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and is responsible for enforcing the legislation governing the private recruitment industry. The EAS carries out inspections of agencies on the basis of perceived risk of non-compliance and investigates complaints about agency conduct. It was recently doubled in size and its investigative powers have been extended.

Mr McFadden said, "Employment agencies need to make sure they play by the rules and don't short-change their staff. An economic downturn should not be an excuse to deny people their rights to work."

Further information and a free leaflet, 'Agency Workers: Know Your Rights', is available at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/EmploymentContractsAndConditions/DG_10027514.

On 22 October 2008, the European Parliament finally approved the draft Temporary (Agency) Workers Directive. This will provide equal treatment for temporary agency workers, compared with permanent workers, in terms of basic working and employment conditions (including pay, holidays, working time, rest periods and maternity leave). In the UK, agency workers will acquire these rights once they have been in a given job for 12 weeks. EU member countries have three years to incorporate the provisions of the Directive into national law.

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