ICTU: Stop blocking agency workers code

THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has demanded the Government back the EU-wide code of practice for agency workers, which it has been blocking along with just three other countries.

On Wednesday, the Portuguese presidency of the European Parliament will finally try to bring to fruition the temporary agency workers directive, which, advocates say, will set minimum standards and create a level playing field for firms and agencies operating in member states. According to ICTU, it will mean a temporary agency worker may not be treated less favourably, in terms of basic working conditions (working time, rest periods, holidays, pay, and so on), than a permanent staff member doing a “comparable” job in the same company.

In Ireland, it has been estimated 125,000 people are employed in up to 520 temporary agencies and, while nobody claims all are rogue operations, claims abound of underpayments, withheld entitlements and bullying.

The European Parliament formulated the temporary agency workers directive five years ago, but it was scuppered by objections of four countries — Britain, Germany, Ireland and Denmark.

Britain has indicated it will lift its veto and the Germans are expected to follow suit. The Government has refused to indicate which way it will vote on the legislation on Wednesday. However, it has said Ireland must balance the entitlements of agency workers with “a dynamic workforce which will respond to the demands of competition”.

Labour Affairs Minister Billy Kelleher said, while lots of countries have parity for agency workers, they also have flexibility and have collective agreements that allow them to negotiate on different rates of pay. “Ireland must protect its national interest to ensure we do not compromise the competitiveness of our highly skilled workforce,” he said.

However, that argument is finding no favour with the trade union movement either here or in Britain. The ICTU has joined with English, Welsh and Scottish trade union congresses in demanding that their respective leaders back the directive.

ICTU general secretary David Begg said: “There can be no more equivocation on this issue. The Irish government must reverse its position and stop blocking. It is important to recognise that the vast majority of EU member states have already put in place legislation at the national level to deal with the problem of employers using agency work as a means to avoid laws, pay less and introduce lower standards by introducing national laws that restrict the length of time that a post can be filled by an agency worker and which guarantee equality of treatment, pay and conditions between agency workers and comparable permanent staff.”