AGENCY WORKERS AND THE SWEDISH DEROGATION

That this House notes that thousands of agency workers in the UK are being employed on Pay between assignment contracts, denying them equal treatment with permanent staff under the Swedish derogation to the Agency Workers Regulations; further notes that this has allowed a hugely profitable company like BT to bring in 2,000 agency workers from Manpower who earn hundreds of pounds less every month than permanent staff for doing exactly the same job; notes that this includes call centre workers handling 999 calls; welcomes the recommendation from the Taylor Review, the BEIS Select Committee and the Work and Pensions Select Committee to close this loophole; and calls on the Government to scrap the Swedish derogation at the earliest opportunity.