Crisis in agency worker talks

Negotiations at European level on new rules for temporary agency workers looked close to collapse as Labour Research went to press.

The discussions have become deadlocked on the issue of protecting agency workers against discrimination, in particular, who temporary agency workers should be compared with. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) wants the comparator to be someone in the company using the agency worker, a position the employers reject. There are also differences between the two sides on whether there should be controls on the use of agency staff.

The two sides - mainly the ETUC representing employees and UNICE the main body representing employers at European level - have been negotiating since June last year. Under EU rules if they reach an agreement this is then ratified and applies across the whole of the EU including the UK, a procedure which has already led to directives on paternity leave, part-time workers and workers on fixed-term contracts.

The EU procedure states that negotiations should not normally last longer than nine months and, although the ETUC has agreed a one-month extension, it has stated that it will not allow them to be dragged out indefinitely. If they break down the ETUC will ask the Commission to begin drawing up a directive on its own account "to ensure that the necessary regulation on temporary agency work is put forward".