21st October 2008 - MEPs set to improve pay for thousands of agency workers

As many as 70,000 temporary and agency workers around Yorkshire and the Humber are set to see their pay and condition improved under a new law being backed by local Euro-MP Linda McAvan in Strasbourg this week.

After years of discussions between European governments, agreement on the principles of a deal was finally reached earlier this year. The proposals, which will give temporary and agency workers who stay in the same job for more than 12 weeks the right to equal pay with “regular” colleagues in the same job, were debated by MEPs last night.

A final vote is scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday this week, when Euro-MPs are expected to endorse the plans.

Alongside equal pay, temporary staff will also be entitled to the same minimum rest breaks and access to vocational training.

Earlier this year, the GMB union1 released figures which suggested that around 70% of Yorkshire & Humber’s 107,000 temporary and agency workers would stand to benefit from the new law. It is believed that temporary and agency staff make up nearly 5% of the total number of people in work (see below for a breakdown of the GMB figures).

In May this year, a report from the Leeds University Business School suggested that agency staff might typically receive 10% less per hour than full-time permanent colleagues in a similar position2.

Linda McAvan says;

“This is another step forward for the rights of working people under EU law, building on the protection MEPs have already secured for workers in our increasingly globalised economy. I know that as families around our region tighten their belts this winter, agency workers will want these changes to be brought forward in law as quickly as possible.”

She adds;

“This new legislation will be good news too for people who are employed on regular contracts. By putting a legal floor under working conditions, we can help to make sure that unscrupulous employers cannot use agency staff to undermine the working conditions of their regular staff. Of course agency staff have an important role to play in some businesses, but they must not just be a cheap long-term alternative to proper employment practices.”