Business groups warn against new Bill

Business groups have voiced their oppostition today to a proposed bill on temporary workers, which would give them the same benefits as other employees.

Trade unions are seeking changes to legislation governing agency workers supplied through employment agencies.

The Bill proposes that workers who are with a company for more than six weeks would be entitled to the same benefits as employees of the firm.

ISME, which represents outlined its opposition to the changes at a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Small Business & Enterprise, calling the bill "unwarranted, unworkable and unwelcome."

The organisation said that the Bill would introduce more costs and another layer of bureaucracy that would not benefit business and would also be to the detriment of agency workers.

"This provision, if approved, will effectively mean that companies must undertake a detailed job analysis on any agency worker it proposes to keep in excess of six weeks, despite that fact that the agency worker is not an employee of the company and was never envisaged to be one," said ISME chief executive, Mark Fielding.

"This bureaucratic burden will deter many companies from using agency workers beyond the six week period, with the significant increase in costs ensuring that agency work is priced out of the market," said ISME chief executive," he added.

Separately, Chambers Ireland accused trade unions of giving out misleading and incorrect information on the status of agency workers.

Speaking in advance of his address to the Joint Oireachtas Committee, Seán Murphy, Chambers Ireland's director of Policy, said the changes being sought by trade unions is unnecessary and unfounded.

"Contrary to their assertions, Agency workers have the same employment rights as their 'permanent'  counterparts. For example, legislation such as the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides for equality of treatment for both full time and 'agency' workers. Similarly all workers come under the remit of Irish legislation as it pertains to equality, unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy payments. Any claims to the contrary are simply not true," said Murphy. 

He added that the changes would "almost certainly" result in job losses, reduced availability for those seeking temporary employment, and ultimately Irish competitiveness.