Boost For Agency Workers Over Pay And Conditions

Agency workers across the UK were set to receive a pay and conditions boost when new rights come into force today.

The Agency Workers Directive was introduced on 1 October, giving equality with directly employed staff after 12 weeks in a job.

Union leaders said that agency workers will receive a pay rise running into thousands of pounds and new rights to holidays, sick pay, maternity and paternity leave and access to staff perks such as health benefits.

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: "What we've achieved is the delivery of the best possible Christmas present for the majority of our agency members - won in the teeth of fierce resistance from vested interests who have demonstrated that the spirit of Scrooge is alive and well in the 21st century.

"Six years after the launch of the CWU's campaign in 2006, hundreds of thousands of agency workers across the UK can now finally look forward to some basic employment fairness.

"Not so very much to ask for, you would have thought, yet it's been a fight that has pitched the trade union movement against successive UK governments and commercial interests - some of which are even now trying to circumvent this welcome piece of European legislation."

Comments

[treetontaxis]

07:33 AM on 12/25/2011

WHAT NEW RIGHTS HAVE AGENCEY WORKERS GOT IN ONE WORD NONE WHY YOU ASK SIMPLE THE SENTENCE IN THE ARTICLE THAT ENDS IN AFTER 12 WEEKS EMPLOYMENT THE EMPLOYER SAYS THEY ARE NO LONGER NEEDED AFTER 10 -11 WEEKS SO NONE OF THESE BENEFITS ARRANGED WITH THE UNIONS
TAKE EFFECT SIMPLE

[george easton]

03:03 PM on 12/25/2011

i agree with you we have had this law for years in scotland and all it did was that the agency only offered you a rolling 12 week contract renewable at thier discression therefore no employmet rights applied

[treetontaxis]

06:54 PM on 12/25/2011

I AM SELF EMPLOYED AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE OF THE RIP OFF FROM AGENCIES AND EMPLOYERS A LIKE NOW I QUOTE THEM A PRICE FOR A JOB AND THEY EITHER TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT AND THE AMOUNT OF RETURN WORK I GET IT MUST BE A FARE PRICE

[mhd043]

07:48 PM on 12/24/2011

i have been working for a company for 20 months through an agency, and although the pay is not good, i could make it up by working as many hours as i liked. I was employed on a 37.5 hours per week basis and did overtime. However, since this came in my hours have been cut to 19 hours and i have been told i can do no more than 37.5 hours (overtime kicks in after this number). With regards to being put on the same salary as the other staff, miraculously the minimum they pay for a new starter on a permanent contract is now how much we get from the agency. The agency already pay me holiday pay and the company does not pay sick pay to new permanent members of staff. So can anyone tell me how i am better off with this new directive. All that's happened is that my standard of living has been reduced. The EU strikes again, the sooner we come out the better.

[Saint wright]

01:30 PM on 12/24/2011

the best boss you can ever have is your self, i worked for a LA for 29 years then started my own company, in the 11 years it ran, i earned more money than in privious 29, and retired at 59 rich, which is nice?

But i did work 7 days a week and up to 10 hours a day?

[cenkoll66]

07:14 PM on 12/24/2011

If we all became the boss, who would do all the menial tasks that are alwa\s there?

[treetontaxis]

07:34 AM on 12/25/2011

LIKE A LOT OF SELF EMPLOYED YOU DO THEM YOURSELF

[treetontaxis]

07:38 AM on 12/25/2011

ONLY TEN HOURS A DAY NOT MUCH OF A COMPANY IF THATS ALL YOU PUT IN THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR HAS JUST GONE FOR ME AND I WORKED 22 HOURS NOT A LOT I KNOW AS I DO ON AVERAGE 15 HOURS ADAY 7 DAYS A WEEK

[Saint wright]

08:00 AM on 12/25/2011

yer i know, but it made me a millionaire and i am happy with that?

[Albert Ward]

10:53 AM on 12/24/2011

My wife works for a hotel and they wont employ agencie workers and they wont give the people that work for them a contract,plus they are on bare minium wage

[Fozwords]

10:42 AM on 12/24/2011

A load of bollocks, this does not mean they will get the same conditions as ordinary workers, holiday pay, sick pay etc, they will have to contribute to those payments from their basic pay with support from the employer. All that is going to happen is the employer is either going to issue 10 week contracts or look for a disclosure from the Agency workers. No employer in this country is going to pay these extra's and see their budget increase for no extra production, in actual fact production will reduce because Agency workers will take advantage of these extra perks. Incidentally I am an Agency worker and I have opted out of this arse of an agreement.

[godchild]

10:12 AM on 12/24/2011

Most agencies employ for 6 to 8 weeks. Most employers employs for holiday period in all of the cases, it is for 8 weeks max then they extend week or two so well before 12 weeks you are gone and another one have been replace by other agencies. In this ball game they know already how to avoid full time employment. Most are been taken for part time work and many millions working already in this industries.

Why government have less revenue coming in? Tax is not been paid back to inland revenue like old days where full time employment and trade union have their say when firm take on employees.

politicians who sale their soul for few pounds just like one of the followers sold Christ for few silver coins, this politicians sale their soul too.

If they did not spare Christ who else would they spare so system is been created to defend children of God.

See the result of bad managment and corruption within country, this is why we call third world a third world not because bad people or God but bad management and corrupt system. Merry Christmas

[jakia]

02:24 PM on 12/24/2011

Godchild. Could you please translate this into English please.

[ronnieince]

09:55 AM on 12/24/2011

Agency workers can also be paid far far more than existing staff - accountants on short term contract work can often earn £500 a day - but it is usually no more than 8-10 week contracts - it is a two way street ..

And a large employer bear me recruits Poles simply becase they are much more reliable than locals - their time keeping is much better , they take much less time off sick, they wil work late at minimal notice until the job gets done, they will work evenings, weekends , holidays without problem - almost almost none of the locals will work so flexibly - thety all get paid the same - - the difference is simply the work ethic

[Fozwords]

10:48 AM on 12/24/2011

Your right my friend and An Engineer, I have no rights of appeal, if my employer want rid of me all he has to do is give me 7 days notice, unless otherwise agreed. I get no pension rights, no sick pay and no holiday/Bank holiday pay and I am happy with the arrangement. It cost around 20k less a year to employ me than a standard worker, because I look after my own insurance - personal liability and I dont take sick, I stop in to finish work without question, thus I get more work because I am not fettered by the restraints that hold this country back, the trade unions. But I have no security, I rely on my work ethis and todate it has worked for 13 happy years.

[garymoss9]

11:02 AM on 12/24/2011

Do you know what , your coments and attitude are very seasonal , I mean almost Dickensian, Scrouge comes to mind . The Victorians had the same ethic known as, soup kitchens, work house, poverty and slums benefiting only the rick and powerful this certainly sadens me to think that there are still people in our society trying to jusify those principles , we should all strive for equality and fairness for all, where all exploitation of others should be our ambition. Merry Christmas.

[Fozwords]

02:02 PM on 12/24/2011

please arrange these words into a well known sentence;

Dont you why off sod

[ronnieince]

02:16 PM on 12/24/2011

Well I live in the real world and as a child my father told me " the world owes you absolutely nothing , it was here long before you were born and will be long after you have died - you will only get out of life what you are prepared to put in to it "

My experience has been you are generally in this life rewarded proportionately what you contribute - it was always thus and always will be - that's where the work ethic comes in - we all have the same 24 hours in the day - its how we chose to use them that makes the difference- I've never met anyone prepared to work 16 hours a day 7 days a week unsuccesful in their career .

[No Hope Son]

09:46 AM on 12/24/2011

I am an electrician in the NHS and I and my colleagues have a Danish agency electrician worker working along side us and his wages are higher than ours by far. In fact we are now loosing over £3000 per year in NRRP payments so the agency electrician will be well ahead of us in the wages stakes as we are being reduced to under £11 and hour after 30 years work and experience by 2013. He travels from Cardiff daily at 100 miles per day so it is a paying game. Don't talk to me about agency workers. Will his wages be reduced to ours, could we claim his hourly wage? I doubt it. Talk about equality my backside.

[Fozwords]

10:49 AM on 12/24/2011

Some grapes are sweet and some are sour, merry xmas.

[eyedinnot]

02:49 PM on 12/24/2011

Even worse in the labs, scientific staff are losing many many thousands per annum, and of course you tend to live up to what you earn. As a single parent with 30 years in the NHS it's just not sustainable now and am about to lose my (and my childrens) home, but don't worry, the doctors will be allright!

[No Hope Son]

04:52 AM on 12/25/2011

If we have less to spend in the public sector then other private sector jobs will go in retail so what goes round comes around.
Remember Mr Cameron there will be an another election and all your votes in the private sector will not be for you and your kind. Good riddens to them, you may have your day today but we will have our day tomorrow and the Lib Dems will go down on the Tory ship with them.

[Yeltzman]

09:33 AM on 12/24/2011

They'll just replace us after 11 weeks to avoid the 12-week limit then, won't they?
Me? Cynical? As if!!

[Tel4b]

09:13 AM on 12/24/2011

It won't matter when it comes to the agency workers imported from the rest of the EU. They'll still get minimum wages and their "employer" will still get half of it back in accommodation costs. Guess who will make up the deficit ? In tax credits, child benefits and all the other parts of the safety net they we pay for and they get access to through these abusers of the system. All this will do is see more British jobs "outsourced" at taxpayer expense.

[karen1963yorks]

06:30 AM on 12/25/2011

A very good point. In the debate about foreign workers most people don't understand that the wages are just a small part of things. Tax benefits and accommodation come into it too.

[NOSHER]

08:52 AM on 12/24/2011

i worked for one agency when they first started i was driving for a good company and they payed me 6pds an hour i was working 60 plus a week and i asked the boss how much the agency charge and they siad 12pds an hour so i siad to the boss if i went self employed as my own agency how much would u pay me he siad 9pds anhour i siad fair enough and never worked for an agency again why should we work 60 hours and the agency get more than the worker who invented these robbers

[football mad]

08:42 AM on 12/24/2011

my partner works for a company as HR officer and has been told to only take agency workers on TEN WEEK contracts. That lets the company off the hook. Whilst she earns a good salay she feels it is not right what her bosses are doing

[mlmuffies]

09:21 AM on 12/24/2011

wish all agency would walk out, this country would buckle

[Fozwords]

10:53 AM on 12/24/2011

That is the truest statment made in these pages

[mlmuffies]

08:22 AM on 12/24/2011

got laid off before it came in funny that been there for 6 years.

[bolden]

07:54 AM on 12/24/2011

i agree i welcome it but the dodgy will always get around the law by sacking workers before their contract is up before 3 months then getting someone esle

[martin d]

07:48 AM on 12/24/2011

An estimated £120000,000,000 in unpaid taxes by big business in the UK, and they cant employ people with real jobs????????????? I think we need some changes in this country

[helleplug]

08:53 AM on 12/24/2011

hear hear, I am 53 and cant get a job because I am married cant get any help with benefits. Yet agency workers have more rights then me, asylum seekers get more help /money then our pensioners and unemployed.

What is going on in this country. Majority off agency workers are eastern european. More should be done to help reduce unemployment. More help for wifes who are also unemployed and who have paid little or no national insurance due to caring for a family member for several years................. Where is there help. Single mums get help, if you paid full n.i. you get help.
If your eastern european you get everything on a plate given to you. And has for asylum seekers they get £24,000 a year in different type off benefits so that their rights are not affected. I get sweet F A. for looking after my granchildren and my elderly parents. Yet I have lived here ALL MY LIFE>

[Fozwords]

10:53 AM on 12/24/2011

13 years of labour didnt change much did it, or have I misssed something

[martin d]

11:09 AM on 12/24/2011

which only proves the point its time for change, they really are all P,,, in the same pot