Agency workers’ protection at risk from Coalition?

06.07.10 - Helen Symons

Labour’s affiliated trade unions long campaigned for the last Labour government to sign up to the Temporary and Agency Workers Directive, which are due to come into force next year and provide crucial protection for the thousands of workers who miss out on workplace rights just because they are employed through an agency.

Whilst the UK Government is now signed up to the Directive, the way that they will put that into practice in this country will determine how effective that protection is. The CBI recently called for the government to “look to simplify the agency rules to ensure existing work opportunities are maintained and new openings can be created”.

That’s why it’s so worrying that Ed Davey, a Lib Dem Minister in the Business Innovation and Skills department, recently answered a question from Labour’s Lisa Nandy by saying: “The Government are aware of the different points of view expressed by the business community about certain aspects of the agency workers regulations and is currently considering the way forward.”

Any watering down of the protections due to come in would be worrying indeed – this is one issue we’ll be keeping an eye on as it progresses.