Agency worker legislation comes under spotlight

AS the Dáil prepares to discuss the Agency Workers’ Bill next week, it has been claimed Ireland is now the only country in Europe which has not made any move to give agency workers equal pay and treatment with their permanent colleagues.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has written to Employment Minister and Tánaiste Mary Coughlan to demand she end what they see as an unjust situation where agency workers get less pay and worse conditions than permanent staff.

They want to give workers in Ireland the rights enjoyed by their counterparts in Europe. It said the introduction into the British parliament of draft legislation to give effect to the EU Directive on agency workers meant Ireland was the only country that had not acted.

“The Government must enact legislation to give effect to the Directive before 2011 but there is no reason why this legislation cannot be used to give workers in Ireland this right,” said ICTU’s legislation and social affairs officer, Esther Lynch.

She said the union was calling for the legislation to be amended to, among other things:

- Provide agency workers with an entitlement to equal treatment, pay and conditions as if they had been permanent employees

- Prohibit the use of agency staff to replace striking workers

- Confirm that the terms of Registered Employment Agreements (REAs) and Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) apply to employment agencies and agency workers

- Set out who is the employer of the agency worker

- Prohibit equality-avoidance practices such as ‘profiling’ or other activities that undermine equality rights.