News

More than 100 MPs turned out to support a Private Member's Bill that would deliver equal treatment for agency workers at Westminster last Friday (19 October).

The bill failed to make it to the floor and so will be dropped when the current Parliamentary legislative session closes later this month.

Supporters of the bill have said that instead of creating flexibility and enabling choice for a minority of workers, agency working is now widespread and is being used to open employment to exploitative practices while reducing the terms and conditions of directly employed workers.

The developments follow leading trade unions and MPs putting their names to an open letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, warning that more than one million agency workers are vulnerable to exploitation at work.

The letter, which was signed by trade union general secretaries and MPs, including Parliamentary Labour Party leader Tony Lloyd and Private Members' Bill sponsor Paul Farrelly, stated that legislation for the protection of agency workers must be prioritised.

Without the bill, agency workers are not entitled to working terms and conditions such as pay, pensions, overtime rates, holiday and sick leave.

The letter stated that "Such legislation is vital. There are now an estimated one million agency workers in this country and the sector is growing. However, UK law states that these workers can be employed on poorer terms than directly employed colleagues doing the same job, the result being that agency workers lose out on vital protections such as pay, sick leave and overtime."

It continues: "Individuals feel that they are being 'forgotten' by their government. The wider social tensions arising from this are considerable and bound to be exploited by extremists who thrive on unrest."

Unions and Labour MPs are now pressing for either a European Directive or domestic legislation to ensure equal treatment for agency and temporary workers

Campaigners warned that if a proposed European Directive addressing the issue is not on the Council of Minister's meeting agenda on 5 December, it is unlikely to make any further progress in Europe.