The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has called on European governments to ensure that any agreement on the new Agency Workers Directive does not threaten job creation.

Speaking ahead of a vital meeting of European employment ministers tomorrow, Helen Reynolds (pictured), the REC's acting chief executive officer, says: "It is vital that any agreement does not result in less temping jobs in Britain. The recruitment industry places 1.3m people into temporary work across the UK every week, allowing employers to bring in extra resources at short notice."

The central proposition in the directive is that agency workers should be entitled to the same pay and basic working conditions as a person who would have been recruited directly into that position.

In response to this, Helen Reynolds, continues: "Our independent polling shows that over 80% of temps are satisfied with their assignment. There simply isn't the abuse on the ground to support the need for this directive. It is not in the interests of recruitment agencies to treat agency workers badly, as without them they would not have a business."