Commenting in response to the outcomes of yesterdayís meeting of the European Council of Ministers on the proposed Agency Workers Directive, Mark Adams, UK Chief Executive of recruitment specialist, Blue Arrow, said:
ìBusiness leaders will be disappointed that yesterdayís meeting hasnít offered any further insight into the way the proposed Agency Workers Directive might be implemented. However, the fact that the Council of Ministers did not reach an agreement yesterday demonstrates that there is a clear appreciation of the potentially far-reaching implications the proposed Directive will have across member states.î
ìIn the UK, there is a real concern that instead of safeguarding the interests of agency workers, the introduction of the directive with no form of reference period would instead act as recruitment deterrent for employers who take on agency staff. The effect would be to reduce the job opportunities available for workers who preferentially choose the flexibility of temporary working and certainly donít feel exploited. We are therefore pleased that the UK Government recognises the potential implications for business if the Directive was introduced without an appropriate qualifying period, and is bringing forward these considerations as the directive continues to be debated.î
ìThroughout, the most important objective for businesses and employees alike must be to protect the high level of employment opportunity that exists in the UK. Our research demonstrates that a great many people enjoy agency work and therefore, in the interests of safeguarding jobs, we welcome attempts to push for a significantly longer reference period than that proposed by the Commission.î
Blue Arrow comments on Tuesday''s EU Council Of Ministers meeting
proposed Agency Workers Directive