Opportunity for social partners to make progress on an Irish arrangement
10 June 2008
Ireland's main people management institute has called for the social partners to focus on securing a national standard for the transposition of employment rights for the 35,000 people employed through agencies in Irish workplaces.
It suggested that a system which phased in equal status on pay and holiday entitlements could be introduced over a two-year period following the EU labour ministers agreement on a draft directive for temporary workers.
Michael McDonnell, Director of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD Ireland), said: ‘The progress made at the Council of Ministers is welcome but it would be unrealistic to impose an equality of entitlements for temporary agency workers from their first day of employment. Instead we must protect the flexibility need for contingencies which may result in a sudden peak in demand for skills over a short period.
‘Long-term dual employment conditions are not desirable and, from the perspective of good employment relations, agency workers need to have the security of pay levels and holiday entitlements afforded to permanent staff after a reasonable period of employment.’
Mr McDonnell said that an arrangement could be agreed at the ongoing national pay talks for a phased introduction of these assurances to kick-in between six weeks and six months for different types of temporary agency employees in an organisation. ‘As a professional body we feel that an agreed national code is desirable to prevent any exploitation by a few unscrupulous employers hiring through third-party agencies.’