REC Steps Up EU Lobbying for Temporary Workersí Rights

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has begun a tour of European nations to rally support against the current draft of the EU Agency Workers Directive, which is threatening the future for temporary workers across Europe.

The RECís Head of External Relations, Tom Hadley, has spent the last week in Poland, where discussions were held with a number of high-ranking Government officials, including Ewa Pomian-Wojcieszczuck, Deputy-Director of the Labour Law Department and with Daniel Misianek, the Ministryís Agency Workers Directive specialist.

As the political pressure for an agreement on the Directive continues to mount, the REC will be continuing to lobby across the EU. Issues including equal pay and equal rights between temps and permanent workers are causing business great concern and the REC is pressing European Governments, in partnership with other industry groups, to ensure that the Directive does not damage European competitiveness.

Following the Polish visit, the REC has arranged meetings with Government officials in Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Malta and Estonia. The aim of these meetings will be to highlight the potential benefits of temporary work across the EU and to emphasis the negative impact that the Directive would entail in its current draft.

The Polish Government recognises the potential benefits of increased labour market flexibility and is therefore keen to see a Directive which does not limit the future development of the temporary work market. In particular, Polish officials support the principle of a substantial derogation period before equal treatment provisions between temporary and permanent workers can apply.

Tom Hadley, Head of External Relations at the REC, commented, ìThe Directive in its current form does not recognise the very different characteristics of labour markets across Europe and is unworkable and impractical. The REC is doing everything possible to influence decision makers not just in the UK but throughout the whole of Europe.î

The Directive will next be discussed at an EU Council of Ministers meeting in December. A compromise proposal will be put forward by the Dutch Presidency and the REC will be doing everything possible to ensure that any agreement takes into account the needs of the UK labour market and of the UK recruitment industry.