One of the UK’s leading recruitment and training agencies, Welsh head-quartered Acorn, has held a series of seminars to outline new legislation that will come into force on October 1st, 2011.
The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) is designed to protect the rights of agency workers by ensuring their employment and working conditions are similar to those of permanent employees.
One-in-four businesses in the UK use agency staff, rising to one-in-two among businesses employing more than 50 people. Between them they employ 1 million agency workers, representing 5% of the UK’s workforce.
The seminars are led by Andrew Tugwell, Acorn’s Operations Director, and Richard Thomas, a partner and leading employment lawyer from Cardiff and London-based Capital Law.
Mr Tugwell said: “The new legislation comes into force in October 2011 but businesses have been attending our breakfast seminars to find out what their responsibilities are going to be so that they can plan ahead accordingly.
”We’ve been holding seminars for a wide range of employers to help them understand what the legislation means to them. And, of course, we’ll be providing further support to our clients to make sure they understand their responsibilities and the impact these changes will have on their businesses.”
Richard Thomas, of Capital Law, said: “The new legislation will ensure that agency workers are entitled to the same basic terms and conditions as those employed directly, including pay, rest periods, annual leave, public holidays, duration of time at work and overtime.
“This does not represent a change in the employment status of temporary agency workers; they will still not be able to claim unfair dismissal, redundancy pay or maternity leave and as such will remain a flexible source of labour for organisations, particularly as the economy emerges from recession.
“But as is so often the case, with new legislation like this the devil is in the detail, so it is very important for everyone involved to understand the changes.”
It is anticipated that the AWR will change the employment conditions for approximately 40% of all temporary agency workers.
Acorn has held about 15 seminars across south Wales, and throughout the south west and north west of England. For further information on forthcoming seminars, call Sarah Jones, Marketing Manager 01633 760 110.
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