REC responds to TUC Temp Survey

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), the representative body for the UK recruitment industry, has called for the benefits and opportunities provided by temporary work to be recognised and for Trade Union calls for more employment regulation to be treated with caution.

Responding to the findings of the TUC / YouGov survey of temporary workers, Tom Hadley, the REC Director of External Relations says:ìIt is good to see that the TUC recognises that agency work is a key part of the modern labour market and that it responds to the increasing demand from workers for greater autonomy and flexibility.

ìRecruitment agencies have two clients ñ the employer and the job seeker ñ and it is in the industryís interests to ensure that the experience of temping and contract work is positive and well rewardedî.

In many ways the TUC survey is extremely positive about the agencies themselves ñ in particular, 77 per cent of workers interviewed had had no problem with the agency they work with.

Commenting on this, Hadley continues: ìIt is important to put these findings into context ñ for example, how many permanent employees would not want better pay or have no problems with their employer if surveyed in the same way. It is of course important for job seekers to take some time and care when choosing which agency to register with - for example, by ensuring that the agency is committed to Industry Codes of Practice.

ìThe TUC survey confirms that the vast majority of agencies provide a valuable service to the workers and one of the benefits of temping is that workers can move to another agency if they are not happy with the level of service being receivedî.

Some of the negative conclusions from in the TUC report in terms of the overall lot of temporary workers are not supported by previous research. For example, the recent Tracking Survey conducted by BMG Research found that 77 per cent of temps were satisfied with their assignments while only 11 per cent of temps said they were dissatisfied to any degree. This confirms the findings of the Kings College London report last year which found that on the whole temporary workers were healthier and happier at work than their permanent counterparts.

Commenting on the TUCís call for more regulation on the back of the research findings, Hadley concludes: ìThe REC has continued to argue for the effective enforcement of existing legislation rather than proposed new ëequal treatmentí regulations that would be difficult to implement in practice and could impact on the viability of the temp model in the UK.

ìIt is the responsibility of Government, Trade Unions and representative bodies such as the REC to work together in order to protect and enforce the rights of workers. However, it is also our responsibility to protect the job opportunities and employment prospects of those not currently within the labour marketî.