Back to the grind again

Well, here we are again - with belated New Years wishes to all our readers. And we come back to the wonderful news of yet another pot shot at the temporary recruitment market. In case you have missed it, a Bill will be debated in Parliament next month about the rights of temporary workers. This is a cause celebre for the trade unions, who have been grinding on about it for years. They were a driving force behind the 2004 Employment Agencies Act Regulations, which severely hampered recruiter’s abilities to protect their legitimate commercial interests in respect of temps. It stems from a belief that temps are routinely and cynically maltreated, and yet, to the best of my knowledge, they have never advanced any statistical evidence in support of this.

Here’s the REC’s counter on the subject:

Temping provides instant access to work, it allows people to balance their work life with other commitments and can act as a stepping stone into employment from those furthest away from the jobs market. REC has promoted a strong and successful campaign to Government about the true nature of temping. This has been supported by research from REC’s Industry Research Unit that has shown that over 80% of temps are satisfied with their assignment and welcome the opportunities that temping brings them. Research has also shown that the resources that temps bring to businesses helps them cover exceptional periods, from standing in for a worker who is on leave to helping to grow a small business and take it to the next level.

What the REC does NOT say, of course, is that a significant percentage of temps temp because they prefer to, and because they can often earn significantly more than their fulltime colleagues.

And here’s a link to the REC’s news item.

Sounds like time to dust off that MP and get him/her to speak up in the House in support of the dynamic, flexible work market that the UK recruitment industry provides.