Agency Workers Directive

The European Parliament Employment Committee is expected to approve the Agency Workers Directive (AWD) this week.

The directive will give workers temporary workers the same pay and working conditions as permanent workers. Following an agreement by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and TUC in May, the current text will permit the UK to enforce equal treatment provisions after a temporary worker has been in an assignment for 12 weeks.

Speaking from Brussels, Anne Fairweather, head of public policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: “Today’s vote is a significant step towards approval of the deal on the AWD. The REC welcomes the fact that the European Parliament is choosing not to amend the deal, which was first agreed between in the Governments of the EU in June. We are now working with our Agency Work Commission to ensure that when the directive is implemented in the UK, it is workable in practice. This is vital if we are to protect temporary work opportunities, which are especially important in the current economic climate.”