REC Meets Polish Delegation to Lobby on Agency Workers Directive

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the Industry body for the private recruitment industry last week met representatives of the Polish Government to discuss the proposed Agency Workers Directive, which is set to be discussed at the European Employment Council on 1 September.

The REC told the Polish delegation how important the temporary labour market is to the UK and that it should be a key driver in improving European competitiveness. The REC asked the Poles for their support in ensuring the Directive is not drafted in such a way as to threaten Europe’s economy. The REC also took the Poles to witness at first hand how an agency works with a visit to a central London based recruitment consultancy.

The REC also discussed how the temporary labour market might help Poland improve its economic performance and enable workers to get on the job ladder. Highlighting how temporary work can achieve the objectives set out in the Lisbon Agenda was also an important message, given research has suggested that as many as 4.3 million jobs could be created across Europe by 2010.

In a separate move, the REC has written to Gordon Brown asking for the Treasury’s support in ensuring the Directive does not damage British competitiveness. In the letter the REC again reiterated that it was not against the Directive per-se, but that if it wasn’t drafted in the way suggested by industry, it could lead to between 160,000 and 230,000 jobs losses in the UK.

Commenting on the visit, Tom Hadley, Director of External Relations at the REC said:

We need to get the new accession countries to understand how the temporary work sector can bring massive social and economic rewards within their countries and how this potential could be stifled by the Directive. The visit was a perfect opportunity to put our case and the delegation seemed very positive towards our arguments.

For further information, please contact the REC press office on 0207 618 9106