Rufus Hood, General Manager UK at Coople, comments: 3a1w49
“After trade union campaigning, the UK government’s restrictions on zero-hour contracts will include agency workers. The changes have a number of implications for staffing agencies as well as the companies that seek the of agency staff.
“Firstly, workers earning under £123 a week will be entitled to statutory sick pay from the first day of their illness, being paid 80% of their weekly earnings, instead of only receiving the pay after three days. Many people who earn under this threshold are agency staff who work a limited number of hours per week. Businesses don’t need to worry about arranging this for their temporary workers from agencies – the staffing agency will take care of statutory sick pay and all other payroll and istrative concerns.
“Under the new regulations, agency workers will also be entitled to be offered a contract with minimum hours, although they will still be allowed to opt for a zero-hours contract if they prefer. While the government previously discussed banning all zero-hours contracts, they will remain an option. It’s up in the air right now how the minimum hours will be determined for each worker, with the BBC sharing that it could be based on a 12-week or longer reference period.
“Also, all zero-hour contract workers, including those who work for agencies, will be eligible for compensation if their shifts are changed on a last minute basis.”