Agency Workers like 'Second-Class Citizens'
17 May 2007
New legislation is needed to ensure recruitment agencies are not used to circumvent equality provisions in employment law and that agency workers are not treated as 'second-class citizens', Congress said today (May 17).
Ireland, the UK and Hungary are the only three EU members that do not legislate for equal treatment of agency workers, meaning it is perfectly legal for such workers to be paid less and have worse working conditions than permanent employees.
The call for new legislation comes as a Congress survey of jobseekers (attached) reveals the majority believe that some recruitment agencies do discriminate against those seeking work, by not sending 'certain' candidates forward for interview.
According to Congress Legislation & Social Affairs Officer, Esther Lynch, the increasing use of agency workers is aiding the creation of a legally-sanctioned, two-tier workforce.
"Congress has received numerous complaints which highlight suspicions that some recruitment agencies are being utilised by some employers for 'equality avoidance' - in other words, to circumvent equality provisions of employment law.
"Our survey of jobseekers reinforces this, highlighting the strong belief that some agencies will 'filter out' certain candidates during the selection process. According to the survey, the most likely to suffer such a fate would be pregnant women, older people, those with children, or someone with a disability - even where that disability has no impact on their ability to do the job in question.
"With the use of agency workers on the rise, it is clear that Irish legislation urgently needs to be updated, otherwise we will create a two-tier workforce characterised by huge inequality in terms of pay and conditions.
"That means sectors of the workforce - be they Irish or international - are de facto second class citizens, with less rights, protections and lower pay than others doing the same work.
"That is a situation which Congress cannot accept and completely contradicts the stated, official policy of creating a high value, high wage economy and society," Ms Lynch concluded.
Ends