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Finding a workable solution to the Agency Workers Directive
Are you an REC member? REC has a series of resources to assist its membership including briefing documents for members and their clients.
One of the main principles underpinning the Agency Workers Directive (AWD) is to give temporary agency workers equal treatment with regards to pay and working conditions after 12 weeks of service in the same assignment.
The REC has always maintained that temporary work is a positive experience for the majority of workers and that this form of working not only keeps people in the labour market but can be a preferred way of working for those seeking flexibility.
The AWD poses a number of practical concerns for professionals in the recruitment industry who will be at the sharp end of implementing the new regulations. Since implementation of the Directive is now a reality, REC wants to see the Regulations applied in a way which is fair to agency workers but does not burden the recruitment industry with unnecessary regulation.
The Agency Work CommissionIn what has been a heavily politicised debate, the REC has taken a proactive lead to ensure that equal treatment provisions are workable in the UK and the practical difficulties are acknowledged and addressed. We therefore set up the REC Agency Work Commission in the summer of 2008 made up of REC members, employment lawyers, the CIPD and clients to influence the debate. In February 2009 the Commission reported on its initial findings which were presented to the Employment Relations Minister Pat McFadden.
