Agency Workers Regulations 2010 are now in effect
Employment law services provider Employee Management Limited (http://www.employeemanagement.co.uk/) reminds businesses across the UK that as of 1 October 2011, the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 came into effect. Although the widely reported concerns of employers over the cost to business appeared to cause the Government to think twice before implementing the legislation, it is now the case that agency workers will quickly accrue the same rights in the workplace as their non-agency counterparts.
For the first time, agency workers are entitled to the same basic working and employment conditions as directly-recruited employees. These Regulations, which implement the EU Temporary Agency Workers Directive (2008/104/EC), provide for some rights being afforded to agency workers with immediate effect, although the majority are subject to a qualifying period of 12 weeks.
As HR consultants, Employee Management Limited has been advising its clients on the changes to the rights of agency workers for some time now, ensuring they are prepared for the ramifications now they have come into effect. This long-established HR services provider has been warning clients that insufficient in-house preparation for the impact of these Regulations could lead to problems after Christmas, when the agency workers they engaged on or before 1 October will complete the aforementioned qualifying period in respect of equal treatment.
The Regulations stipulate that agency workers must be granted equivalent access to all facilities available to regular employees, such as the staff canteen, childcare provisions and health/fitness amenities. Pregnant agency workers will have the same right to paid time-off for ante-natal appointments as regular employees. Agency workers are also entitled to be informed of all internal job vacancies from the first day of their assigned temporary position.
If you feel that you might benefit from the employment law services of Employee Management Limited in order to keep abreast of important legislative changes and how to deal with them from a practical perspective, go to http://www.employeemanagement.co.uk/ for further information.
Processing your request, Please wait....
