Irish & British Unions issue united call for action on agency workers
2 Dec 2007
Joint Statement from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the TUC, the Scottish TUC and the Welsh TUC
- Critical EU Council Meeting on Agency Workers, Dec. 5
Following a recent meeting in Dublin of the Presidents and General Secretaries of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the TUC, the STUC and WTUC, a united call has been made on the critical meeting of EU Social Affairs Ministers on Wednesday, December 5, to break a longstanding deadlock and agree a new deal for agency workers.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the UK's Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Scottish TUC and Welsh TUC are the representative bodies for trade unions on these islands, with a combined membership in excess of 10 million people.
Europe has been discussing a new Directive on Agency Workers for more than five years. But so far it has been unable to agree. A majority of EU member states back proposals to give proper protection and equal treatment to agency workers.
But they have been opposed by a large enough minority of EU members - including the UK and the Irish governments - who have prevented the adoption of a Directive with teeth.
Almost every exposure of exploitation of vulnerable workers on these islands has had agency working at their heart. There is a perfectly legitimate role for employment agencies in providing workers with short-term availability to employers with short-term needs. But too many employers use the lack of legal protection for agency workers to circumvent employment protection for directly employed staff and undermine the pay and conditions by replacing permanent staff with agency staff.
Trade unions in both Ireland and Britain are calling on ministers from both countries to stop blocking effective protection for agency workers at the EU upcoming Social Affairs Council meeting, on December 5.
Congress General Secretary David Begg has already written to Micheal Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment stating that Congress considers "the adoption of this Directive to be essential."
The December 5 meeting is a real opportunity to break the deadlock and agree a Directive that would provide minimum standards of employment protection for agency workers across the European single market.
Balancing the extension of the single market with decent minimum standards has always been an integral part of the European social model. The Agency Workers Directive should be the third pillar of what was meant to be protection for Europe's 'atypical' workers. Effective measures on part-timers and temporary workers are now well established, but agency workers are still waiting.
Ministers from both countries should understand the strength of feeling among unions on this issue. This is a test case for whether governments are prepared to support modest measures that will deliver fairness, or stand to one side.
This unprecedented joint statement is to be communicated urgently to the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister and the First Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Commenting on this initiative Congress General Secretary David Begg said: "There can be no more equivocation on this issue. The Irish government must reverse its position and stop blocking
Ends