A
meeting at the EU Council of Ministers has failed to reach agreement on the
future of the controversial Agency Workers Directive.
The
current draft of the directive would see employers forced to offer temporary
workers the same employment conditions as permanent staff from day one of
employment. They would also be entitled to the same salary after a six-week
qualification period.
It
is believed the DTI is pushing for a return to the original position of a
one-year qualification period, although anything above six weeks would be an
improvement.
Peter
Martin, director of employment policy at the Engineering Employers’ Federation
said manufacturing employers would regard the council’s lack of concensus as a
good thing.
"Employers
will be relieved at the failure to reach agreement on the Temporary Agency
Workers Directive," he said. "The UK must maintain its strong stance
and continue to protect the flexibility of both employers and temporary workers
which this directive would threaten."
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