on the 1st of october agency workers get the same rights as regular staff after 12 weeks,i have been looking on the goverment website to find out about it but it's as clear as mud,is there anywhere i can look where i can understand it or does anyone no what happening.
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Agency work
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Nym
Established Member
Proberbly not, Agency workers have always been kept in the dark and proberbly always will be, when we actually know the employment laws, the employers loose the upper hand.
In fact, thats the same of any job really. Well, anything in the service or retail industry where some managers are still scared of unionised workers, naming no names William Henry's company...
Either way, you could read the act of parliment?
In fact, thats the same of any job really. Well, anything in the service or retail industry where some managers are still scared of unionised workers, naming no names William Henry's company...
Either way, you could read the act of parliment?
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
If this is a legally-binding regulation, then information must be made readily available. Contact your local branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau.
I'm not sure that an understanding of the legal position is going to be much help in practice.
My understanding is that many agencies will be swerving the legislation by offering 11 week contracts or thereabouts. If they do not, such agencies will be at a substantial competetive disadvantage.
My understanding is that many agencies will be swerving the legislation by offering 11 week contracts or thereabouts. If they do not, such agencies will be at a substantial competetive disadvantage.
Nym
Established Member
IMO all it will mean is that there will be less semi-perminant work for agency staff as there will be no benifit to the employer short of not needing to deal with HMRC for PAYE.
Meaning there will be less perminant-temp work, (that is what I'm currently doing, and have been for a while now), meaning tempory staff will have less work, for the same pool, and employment agencies will either have to cut their overheads and be more competative, or reduce temp workers' wages (I aint on min wage on this contract), cut their staffing as there is less work, or move more to an recruitment agency model rather than employment agency.
Yes it's all very nice having employment rights at THIRTEEN WEEKS rather than none at all, but it frankly in the long run will make sod all difference for the friverlous reasoning that pepole can be sacked for nowerdays when no-one challenges the companies about it.
An alternative will be that no tempory worker will be with any company for more than 12 weeks 6 days to avoid the legislation. IMO, all this will do is make things worse in the long run for agency workers.
It proberbly won't affect the single shift / single week cover temp unskilled jobs, as the're all less than 13 weeks. But contacts like that of BSS T/Ls and other contract based companies will just start to employ more staff on their own, making it harder for agency staff to find work.
Oh and let me just say, Job Centre, useless, not found me or had one job advertised ever that I'm qualified for, or able to afford to do, Well done DWP.
OK, last point. Since most jobs being offered now are part time or stupidly low hours, one cannot have two jobs in the same was as working for an agency, if I work for this agency and have 2 or 3 contracts at once, it's all on one tax code, so reduces the amount of hassle, whereas if I had more PAYE accounts, I wouldn't see any alowance from jobs 2, 3 or 4, only job 1. And while the're arguing about it, I wouldn't see any personal alowance, meaning for the year I'd pay £2000 too much Income Tax, that is then a PITA to claim back.
Meaning there will be less perminant-temp work, (that is what I'm currently doing, and have been for a while now), meaning tempory staff will have less work, for the same pool, and employment agencies will either have to cut their overheads and be more competative, or reduce temp workers' wages (I aint on min wage on this contract), cut their staffing as there is less work, or move more to an recruitment agency model rather than employment agency.
Yes it's all very nice having employment rights at THIRTEEN WEEKS rather than none at all, but it frankly in the long run will make sod all difference for the friverlous reasoning that pepole can be sacked for nowerdays when no-one challenges the companies about it.
An alternative will be that no tempory worker will be with any company for more than 12 weeks 6 days to avoid the legislation. IMO, all this will do is make things worse in the long run for agency workers.
It proberbly won't affect the single shift / single week cover temp unskilled jobs, as the're all less than 13 weeks. But contacts like that of BSS T/Ls and other contract based companies will just start to employ more staff on their own, making it harder for agency staff to find work.
Oh and let me just say, Job Centre, useless, not found me or had one job advertised ever that I'm qualified for, or able to afford to do, Well done DWP.
OK, last point. Since most jobs being offered now are part time or stupidly low hours, one cannot have two jobs in the same was as working for an agency, if I work for this agency and have 2 or 3 contracts at once, it's all on one tax code, so reduces the amount of hassle, whereas if I had more PAYE accounts, I wouldn't see any alowance from jobs 2, 3 or 4, only job 1. And while the're arguing about it, I wouldn't see any personal alowance, meaning for the year I'd pay £2000 too much Income Tax, that is then a PITA to claim back.
That's what i thought,but it seems that they can't do that if you work 11 weeks you have to have 6 weeks work elsewhere before the 12 weeks start again.If you work 11 weeks then work elsewhere for 2 weeks then go back you start from 11 weeks.
The less scrupulous agencies will dodge that.
All you have to do is artificially split an agency in two (the other one being ostensibly run by some unconnected party) and switch contracts between the two every 12 weeks. I'm sure that other dodges are being plotted as we speak.
The only thing to deter such avoidance is the client not tolerating it. That will happen with the "household name" variety of client because of the risk of reputational damage. Bottom end outfits will not take that view - the more revolting end of the food production industry for example. That sector is already notorious for its bad employment practices and that is not going to change any time soon. Any opportunity to limit costs will be taken by those firms.
All you have to do is artificially split an agency in two (the other one being ostensibly run by some unconnected party) and switch contracts between the two every 12 weeks. I'm sure that other dodges are being plotted as we speak.
The only thing to deter such avoidance is the client not tolerating it. That will happen with the "household name" variety of client because of the risk of reputational damage. Bottom end outfits will not take that view - the more revolting end of the food production industry for example. That sector is already notorious for its bad employment practices and that is not going to change any time soon. Any opportunity to limit costs will be taken by those firms.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Is there not a Government departmentally approved agency who acts as a watchdog and monitors the behaviour of these agencies to see that they are acting in a responsible manner and that they are adhering the the requirements of the law governing employment?
There is an organisation who monitors the performances of the gangmaster industry, which came into being after the deaths of the Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay some years ago. Many of the workers from Europe who work in the seasonal vegetable and fruit industry now have more protection as a result of the new regulations that now are in place in that industry.
There is an organisation who monitors the performances of the gangmaster industry, which came into being after the deaths of the Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay some years ago. Many of the workers from Europe who work in the seasonal vegetable and fruit industry now have more protection as a result of the new regulations that now are in place in that industry.
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