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Attention: Industrial correspondents

TUC welcomes proposed EU Directive on agency workers

The TUC has welcomed the proposals for new laws providing agency workers rights to equal treatment adopted by the EU Commission today.

TUC General Secretary John Monks said

'This is an overdue step after the employers at European level had blocked an agreement. There are still concerns that the proposals leave worrying loopholes.

'British business needs agency workers to provide short-term cover and some British workers need agencies to find them short-term work. Too many businesses are using the lack of protection for agency workers to keep permanent parts of their business going with agency workers on worse terms and conditions.

'Employers will whinge about 'red-tape' from Brussels but short-term savings don't always make long-term business sense.'

Notes to Editors:

• The use of agency workers is more widespread in the UK than elsewhere in the EU. Eighteen percent of UK temporary workers are now agency workers, compared with just 7% eight years ago.

• Agency workers are no longer used simply to cover holiday and sickness absences. The TUC has found a worrying trend for employers to terminate staff contracts and re-employ people as agency workers on less pay and with fewer rights. Only a third of all agency workers have worked for their current employer for less than 3 months.

• Agency workers are more likely to be women (50.1%), from ethnic minorities (14%) and under 30 (54%).

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Press release (400 words) issued 20 Mar 2002