Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEmployment lawHR practiceAgency workersEmployment contracts

Trade unions may agree to qualifying period for equal employment rights for temporary workers

by Greg Pitcher 23 Aug 2007
by Greg Pitcher 23 Aug 2007

Trade unions have conceded that they might accept a qualifying period for temporary workers to gain full employment rights.

Attempts to finalise the wording of the Agency Workers Directive have been held up by five years of arguing over this issue between unions and employer groups.

Unions have held out for temps to gain the same rights as permanent workers from day one of employment. But businesses want them to have worked for up to a year at the same company before gaining equal rights.

The directive, placed back on the European agenda by the Portugese presidency of the European Union, will be the subject of much debate at the TUC congress next month.

Sarah Veale, TUC head of equality and employment rights, told Personnel Today: “It is possible there is somewhere between a day and a year that we can agree on – but we start from the premise that temporary workers should get full rights from day one.

“If it is anything other than day one, you start negotiating over a qualifying period, and that starts to cut out workers. If you end up with a year’s qualifying period, then you would only cover about three people.”

Veale added that a six-month qualifying period would still be “useless”, and that the TUC hoped a significant chunk of the year demanded by employers would be eaten into.

“We are optimistic,” she said. “We have had cordial meetings with the government.”

As part of the 2004 Warwick Agreement with unions, Labour pledged to introduce more rights for temporary workers.

Avatar
Greg Pitcher

previous post
Employers could face age discrimination claims after paying young workers more than the minimum wage
next post
Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are potential security risks to companies

You may also like

Report recommends student loan-style scheme for pilot training

5 Jun 2023

Think tank seeks investment for basic income pilot

5 Jun 2023

Hybrid working: why presence bias is still an...

5 Jun 2023

HCM trends and pain points – time to...

5 Jun 2023

Unions to scrutinise new civil service pay offer

2 Jun 2023

Time-to-hire rates at an all-time high

2 Jun 2023

AI in HR: Streamlining operations with onboarding and...

2 Jun 2023

DWP only just introduced overtime holiday pay mechanism,...

2 Jun 2023

University staff in further strikes over pay docking

2 Jun 2023

CBI to cut jobs after drop in membership

2 Jun 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+