Regulations
aimed at easing the way for temporary workers to become permanent employees
have been announced by industry minister Alan Johnson.
Johnson
said the reform of the employment agency regulations would provide much greater
adaptability to an industry that was a key player in today’s flexible labour
markets.
He
said, "The new regulations will help hirers and workers without damaging
the legitimate concerns of agencies which need to ensure they are not being
used as a recruitment service."
A
company will not be charged a transfer fee by an agency if it recruits a worker
previously emp-loyed as a temporary member of staff, providing the permanent
contract starts at least eight weeks after the original hiring finishes.
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It
will also establish an extension option as an alternative to employers having
to pay agents’ fees when they offer temporary staff permanent employment. This
ensures a guaranteed return for agencies and will give employers and temps
greater flexibility.
Tim
Nicholson, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation,
said he welcomed the new proposals for an eight-week quarantine period.
