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date: 29 July 2009

embargo: For immediate release

Agency workers say they want a better deal at work

Responding to claims today (Wednesday) by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) that improving employment rights for agency workers would cost British industry £1.5 billion a year, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Every time workers get a slightly better deal employer organisations claim that the costs will cripple British business, yet somehow life goes on.

'But the BCC has scored an even bigger own goal this time by putting a figure on just how much agency workers are losing out as second class workers.

'This week's TUC poll of agency workers shows huge support for a better deal from agency workers and many stories of poor treatment.

'Of course there is a role for agency working. Some employers need short-term staff and some workers only have short-term availability. All these regulations will do is go some way to stop unscrupulous employers using agency and temporary staff to avoid their proper responsibilities as employers.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The TUC recently commissioned a YouGov survey of agency workers. Total sample size was 2,707 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22-25 June 2009. The survey was carried out online. The sample was constructed from YouGov panel members who are currently working through an agency or have done so in the last year. This is not a representative sample of agency workers as it under-represents those on lower pay and in more vulnerable employment as they are less likely to be online, but as there is no accurately known profile of all agency workers, it is not possible to weight the data to provide a representative sample. Questions and answers referred to in the text are available at: www.tuc.org.uk/extras/agencypoll2009.pdf

- One in three (33 per cent) respondents said that directly employed staff were paid more than temps for doing the same work, and nearly half (46 per cent) said they received less holiday entitlement. Three in four (75 per cent) respondents to the poll said temps were entitled to less redundancy pay than directly employed staff, and more than two in three (70 per cent) said that agency workers were entitled to less maternity pay than directly employed colleagues.

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Media enquiries:
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Press release (600 words) issued 29 Jul 2009