The EU Agency Workers Directive is on the agenda of the Portuguese presidency of the EU which kicked off earlier this month.
Whether the Directive goes forward for a formal vote at the EU Employment Council in December depends on the outcome of initial discussions between Employment Minsters that are due to take place in September.

Commenting on the latest twist in the AWD saga, Tom Hadley, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s director of external relations, says: “The REC has always made it clear that we are not opposed to the overall aims of the Directive. Temporary workers make a crucial contribution to all sectors of the economy, and it is important that they are well rewarded and that their basic employment rights are enforced.
“However, it is crucial to ensure that any European Directive in this area does not affect the opportunities that temporary work provides to millions of workers each year – for example, by making the process unduly bureaucratic for employers.”

The main area of concern for the UK recruitment industry is that the ‘equal treatment’ provisions between agency workers and permanent employees in the user company would be difficult to implement in practice and could impact on the viability of the temp model in the UK. In addition, there is a legitimate argument that agency work is by its very nature different from permanent work and should be recognised as such.
Looking ahead to possible developments under the Portuguese Presidency, Hadley concludes: “Agency work is a key part of the modern labour market and we are confident that the UK government will continue to stand firm against any proposed directive that could have a negative impact on the UK labour market.  The REC has continued to argue for the effective enforcement of existing legislation as the best way of addressing instances of worker exploitation and is committed to working with government and trade unions on this – in particular through the recently launched Vulnerable Workers Enforcement Forum.

“It is the responsibility of government, trade unions and representative bodies such as the REC to work together in order to protect and enforce the rights of workers. However, it is also our responsibility to protect the job opportunities and employment prospects of those not currently within the labour market.”

The REC external relations team will be meeting with the new Employment Minister, Pat McFadden next week and REC members will be kept up-to-date with all developments.