This month marks the one year countdown to implementation of the Agency Workers Regulations. With recruitment professionals gearing up for October 2011, the REC will be working closely with members and client organisations over the coming months to prepare for implementation.
An immediate priority is to provide practical support for agencies - in particular through the AWR toolkit, the free legal helpline and the programme of AWR Training Workshops.
The REC will also continue to push for a limited review of the current regulations in order to strip out some of the bureaucracy for recruiters. This message will be taken forward at the follow-up meeting with Employment Relations Minister Ed Davey later this month.
Commenting on the home straight for AWR implementation, Tom Hadley, the REC’s Director of Policy and Professional Services, says:
With one year to go, agencies are already discussing practicalities of AWR implementation with their clients and putting building blocks in place. The regular feedback from recruiters has informed our ongoing discussions with senior officials within the Department for Business and we will do everything possible to limit uncertainty, bureaucracy and risk for recruiters.
“The next few months are about influencing the final outcome, having input into the official guidance and providing practical implementation support for recruiters. Yes, these are complex regulations but we have been here before and recruiters are seizing the opportunity to demonstrate real added value by working constructively with clients in the run-up to October 2011.”
Over the last 18 months REC activities on the AWR have included:
Establishing an Agency Work Commission to make practical recommendations to Government on how equal treatment measures can best be implemented;
- Building links with employer bodies and client organisations to ensure a consistent approach to the regulations between users and providers of temporary staff;
- Working with REC Sector Groups to identify and take forward specific issues for recruiters in different sectors;
- Hosting three Agency Work Summits and a series of regional events to raise awareness and develop the industry’s collective response to the regulations;
- Launching AWR implementation pack as well as regular legal briefings to help members work with clients on the practical implementation of equal treatment measures;
- Regular dialogue with BIS officials and meetings with Ministers to take forward the recruitment industry’s ongoing concerns over the forthcoming AWR.
