The European Parliament's employment committee yesterday (7 October) approved the Agency Workers Directive putting temporary workers on equal terms with their full-time colleagues regarding pay and working hours from their first day of employment.

Thirty one MEPs voted in favour, three abstained and only one voted against the text, which had been blocked since 2002, mainly due to reservations from the UK government over granting full equal rights to temporary employees before they have been in the job for 12 weeks. 

Under the agreed text, which is a compromise between Parliament and national governments, derogations from the equal treatment obligation would still be possible provided that there is agreement between social partners. But the amended directive makes clear that this should remain the exception. 

Tom Hadley, director of external relations at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, told Recruiter the agreement was positive news because it led the way for the UK to decide its own version of the directive, as long as it was in conjunction with social partners.
“What has been agreed is a get-out clause, which is likely to be agreed by the full European Parliament. Now we must focus on national level implementation and come together as an industry and lead the debate.”
European Parliament is due to vote on the directive in plenary on October 21.