The number of workplaces employing temporary and agency staff is growing leaving all employees at risk of worsening terms and conditions.
On Tuesday, May 20th, the Government announced that it would introduce a law to extend the legal protections of full employment to Temporary and Agency workers who had remained in a position for 12 weeks or linger.
This is a result of a successful campaign by the Trade Union movement to protect workers, whether full-time or a temporary/ agency worker.
Community made a submission to the TUC Commission on Vulnerable Workers on the situation faced by Temporary and Agency workers. Our report asked the questions:
Are temporary and agency workers being exploited?
Are temporary and agency workers being used by unscrupulous employers to undermine the pay and conditions of permanent employees?
In the period between January – April 2008, Community surveyed union branches in workplaces representing more than 8,000 members. In order to get a representative sample of the union’s membership the survey covered steel, wire, textiles, carpets, general manufacturing and footwear industries.
Here are a few typical examples of responses that we recieved.
“At induction agency workers are being told they cannot join our union”
Plastics company
“Management threaten to bring in Eastern European agency workers just before wage negotiations”
Food factory
“Agency workers can be sent home with two hours notice”
Footwear company
“Around 50% staff are agency. Of these, 50% are East European, who work without overtime.”
Textiles factory
“Agency workers have complained that they are bullied; they’re told if they give any more details about it they would be evicted from their housing”
Steel works
To read the full report, download the following PDF file.
Community Submission to the TUC Commission on Vulnerable Employment