BoS initiative gets Commons support

James Cunliffe

A prospective parliamentary candidate is calling for temporary agency workers to have equal rights.

Ed Brown, Labour candidate for North East Bedfordshire, is urging MP Alistair Burt to back a Private Members Bill.

In 2006, Bedfordshire on Sunday carried out an investigation into reports that records at a few employment agencies in Bedford indicated that Polish workers were being underpaid.

The investigation sparked calls for better regulation and Bedford MP Patrick Hall began working with other MPs to offer temporary employees more protection.

Introduced by Labour MP Andrew Miller, the Bill will provide agency temps with the same rights as permanent employees.

An earlier Private Members Bill on agency workers introduced last year by MP Paul Farrelly was kicked out.

Mr Brown said: "I support the agency workers Private Members Bill and am calling upon Alistair Burt MP to offer his backing.

"Employment agencies provide a perfectly proper role in supplying agency temps on a short term basis.

"However, it is clear that many vulnerable workers are being exploited by unscrupulous employees.

"Further, the use of temps often threatens the jobs of hardworking people in important local industries, such as agriculture.

"This legislation is necessary to protect jobs in North East Beds and to provide a fair deal for local workers."

Mr Burt said: "I strongly support the enforcement of existing legislation to protect Agency workers, as it is unacceptable for those workers to be abused but cases raised in the campaign suggest that it is greater enforcement, and not more legislation which is needed. In addition the CBI predict some 250,000 jobs might be at risk if the Bill was to be passed, and this would be a sad unintended consequence."