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In
Strasbourg next week, the European Parliament will be voting on the
controversial Agency Workers Directive - a proposal from the European
Commission that threatens to introduce new legislation and therefore more
red tape affecting thousands of temporary agency workers employed
throughout the UK.
The
contribution of agency workers to the UK workplace today, especially in
the East of England, is greater than ever before. It is currently
estimated that around 700,000 people are working as temporary agency
workers at any one time in the UK, representing almost half the entire
figure for agency workers across the EU.
In its
current format, the Directive specifies that after a 6-week period a
temporary worker could claim comparability with an 'equivalent' employee
of the user enterprise doing the same or similar job for the purposes of
'basic pay and conditions'. This equal treatment would impose significant
administrative burdens on both user companies and agencies, particularly
small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The
impact could be devastating. SMEs are likely to reduce their use of
temporary workers, putting an estimated 170,000 jobs at risk. Other
companies, however, will be forced to carry the costs associated with
equalisation, increasing the pressures on consumer prices and service
delivery levels. Alternatively, they may decide to reduce the pay and
benefits of permanent staff. There is also a fear that staff loyalty among
permanent workers will decline due to the apparent improved status of
temporary co-workers.
Behind
the Agency Workers Directive is the suspicion that temporary workers are
an exploited group in some areas of the EU. This is generally not the case
in the UK. On the contrary, most temporary workers enjoy their work and
feel that it is the key to the fulfilment of their long-term career and
lifestyle. The present UK regulatory framework, which guarantees basic
employment rights such as the national minimum wage, working time
regulations and health and safety regulation, offers a clear balance
between flexibility and protection for agency workers. This additional red
tape from Brussels is not necessary!
Agency
working is the key to competitive strength in our economy, and to an
improving work/life balance for our workers. It offers a route back into
work for those who have been out of the workforce through sickness,
pregnancy etc, and a chance for many who would otherwise be excluded from
the labour market. For many, it is a bridge to permanent employment,
allowing new entrants and low skill workers to gain the necessary
experience for a better job whilst they are earning.
In the
East of England, we have many food processing firms, horticultural
suppliers and farmers where the work is seasonal. Such employers rely on
temporary workers to cope with their busy periods and would be seriously
affected by the new regulations.
This
Directive, if adopted in its current format could have a major negative
impact on the flexibility of the UK labour market, be damaging to the UK
economy, and restrict choice and opportunity for temporary workers, as
well as increase the cost of labour for businesses. I will be voting to
amend these proposals in Strasbourg to ensure that agency workers and
their users in the Eastern Region are protected
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