Agency Staff And Full Time Staff Will Be Equal
After a number of years in the making it seems as though the government, the unions and the CBI have come to an agreement about how agency workers are treat in the workplace. For many years some companies have made use of agency staff to cut their costs and pay them less than full time staff doing the same job. Many companies have also been able to reduce other costs such as pension contributions and holiday pay for those employed through an agency.
However, under the new rules all agency staff will have the same rights as permanent staff in their place of work after being there for 12 weeks. Not only does this see both agency and full time staff paid the same wage for the same job, it also gives agency workers a whole raft of new legal rights and increased protection.
The deal has been greeted with a lukewarm response by the CBI which had been fighting for a 6 month period before the new regulations kicked in. While not exactly the best situation for them - one which will increase costs and possibly risk jobs in the long run - it is generally agreed that the changes are the best they could really hope for.
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