Temps should not be short changed on employment rights

The Transport and General Workers'' Union, the main union representing agency and temporary workers, said today that EU plans to extend to temporary workers the same rights as permanent workers are long overdue. The T&G added
that they believe the CBI has overreacted in its rejection of the proposals and that claims that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost as a result are baseless.

Until now UK temporary workers had no legal rights to sick pay, holiday pay, pensions or maternity pay, and were often not as well paid as their permanent counterparts. A TUC survey in 2001 found that 25% of workplaces surveyed were not paying sick pay to temps, and 14% paid no holiday pay.

T&G National Secretary, Len McCluskey, today said:

Entitlement to basic benefits like sick pay and holiday pay should not depend on whether you are on a temporary or permanent contract. Why should temps lose money if they are ill, or need time off?

Temporary workers make up an important part of the British economy, and should have the same rights as permanent employees. The CBI has completely overreacted by claiming that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost.
Workplaces in the UK will be better off as a result of these plans.