I am seeking clarification surrounding any changes to the agency workers' legislation. Our business is in the BPO - Out sourcing space where we hire over 1,500 employees. I have concerns that currently there are changes either coming to the agency working policies or maybe this is silent. However, it has been implied to us that agency workers while working on client sites should have all the same terms of employment as those of the current client staff in that office or the same terms as any other agency workers. Can you please share any updates with me surrounding this and whether this is indeed under review?

The Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Workers) Act 2012 (the “Act") transposed, was enacted 16 May 2012. The core objective of the Act (which implemented a European Directive on Temporary Agency Work) is to ensure that agency workers are treated as if they were directly hired employees of the end-user in respect of certain specified basic terms and conditions of employment.

The Act provides that subject to any collective agreement, an agency worker shall, for the duration of his/her assignment with a hirer, be entitled to the same basic working and employment conditions to which he/she would be entitled if he/she were employed by the hirer under a contract of employment to do work