A row has broken out over union allegations that agencies regularly abuse temps.

The TUC’s Life on the Edge report sparked a furious backlash from the recruitment industry.

According to the report, temps need more employment rights to protect them from abuses.

The report listed allegations from temps including false promises from agencies about finding temporary work, ignorance of health and safety training, and poor wages.

Polish security temps were made to sign up to contracts insisting they work for at least 56 hours a week, which neglected to inform them they had to opt out of the 48-hour working time regulations.

Other alleged abuses included paying under the minimum wage and failure to supply payslips detailing deductions.

“Temping is vital to today’s modern economy, but with no proper protection too many agency temps are suffering working practices from the Dark Ages,” said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber (pictured).

The TUC called on the government to adopt proposals in the Agency Workers Directive that call for equal pay and conditions for temps. The directive is currently shelved after the UK and a group of other European states blocked it.

“The TUC’s latest attack is misguided and misinformed and the call for yet more regulation could actually limit the opportunities that temporary work provides to thousands of workers every day,” said Gareth Osborne, managing director of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Osborne pointed to REC research that revealed nine out 10 temps choose to work through agencies because it allows them to work flexibly.