Labour agrees a fair deal on agency work

The Government has today agreed a deal between unions and employers that will see agency workers in the UK receive equal treatment after 12 weeks employment.

After 12 weeks in a given job agency workers will have an entitlement to equal treatment. Equal treatment will be defined to mean at least the basic working and employment conditions that would apply to the workers concerned if they had been recruited directly by that undertaking to occupy the same job.

The agreement reached will give increased protection to agency workers and guard against unfair wage undercutting without putting jobs at risk or cutting off a valuable route into employment. The government will now seek agreement with other European member states that secures these key points for the UK in a European agency workers directive.

David Cameron claims he is in favour of rights for working people but won't tell people that the Tories have opposed increasing protection for agency workers, viewing it as “misguided and unnecessary”.

David Cameron and the Tories have opposed other rights to help millions of working people including the minimum wage, flexible working, longer maternity leave and tax credits.

In direct contrast, today's announcement builds on Labour's existing help for families – including:
• 9 months paid maternity leave for new mums
• a right to paternity leave for all dads
• Surestart and free childcare for three and four year olds
• the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit that pays up to £140 a week for one child and £240 a week for two or more.