Amanda Harvey on the changing rules for agency workers
Many employers in the uk turn to employment agencies to find short-term staff – it's quick, easy and comes with less legal and financial hassle than hiring permant workers for a job that may not be ongoing.

In March, however, the European Commission proposed a new directive. Among other things, it proposed giving more rights to temporary workers supplied by agencies.

The draft directive proposed that temporary workers supplied to a client for six weeks or more should have the right to the same pay and conditions as employees of the client.

Unlike most EU member states, a significant proportion of the UK's workforce (estimated at 700,000 individuals) are engaged as agency staff at any one time. It's not surprising then, that the directive has not not been broadly welcomed by the government, employers or indeed workers.

After all, not all workers want to be employees. Some workers prefer the flexibility that agency work provides, as this enables them more flexible working patterns – to work only during school terms, for example. Indeed, there is concern that this directive will, if implemented, have a significant adverse effect on flexibility within the UK workforce.

The DTI began consultation on the proposals in July. The UK government pushed for the proposed rights to apply after one year's service rather than the six weeks originally recommended by the European Commission – but to no avail. Last month the European Parliament gave initial approval to the proposed directive, subject to some important amendments. It appears that the concerns raised by the UK have largely been ignored.

The European Parliament's initial reaction is that the new rights for agency staff will apply on commencement of the engagement, not after six weeks' service as originally proposed, except in certain circumstances.

Some of the directive's proposals are long overdue, such as deeming void terms that prevent the conclusion of contracts between agency workers and clients at the end of the worker's assignment.

However, treating agency staff as if they were employees may well lead to a reduction in demand, and opportunities, for the exact same staff that the proposals aim to help.