Michael Henderson suggests

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Temporary government spinelessness?

Friday, 9th May 2008

The government has abstained from from a crucial vote on a private members bill that would give temp workers the same rights as full time workers. In so doing our economically fragile times the government has invited further uncertainty by not standing up to trade unionists and backbenchers who are intent on taking one of the last solid pillars of our economy away - it's flexibility.

Pat McFadden, employment minister, said he does not support the bill but is 'happy to for discussions to continue at this stage'. Why? If you don’t support it then use your democratic vote to sink it. By deciding to abstain the government is abandoning its traditional - and sensible - approach to this, which is to fight it tooth and nail. We can only hope they won't do something popularist and ill-thought out for a quick win in these unpopular times.

It's simple: businesses like temps because it is a flexible source of employment. That's why they are employed. Take that flexibility away and you remove much of the raison d'etre of this type of employment. But don’t take my word for it; take the word of the pros. Helen Reynolds, acting CEO at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, says:

“…the labour market remains in a delicate state, although there remains a strong demand for temporary workers...Within this context and in a period of economic instability, now is not the time to introduce legislation that could severely jeopardise the future of temporary work. Equal treatment measures between temps and permanent workers would be almost impossible to work out in practice and would add a completely unnecessary layer of bureaucracy for employers and agencies. This in turn would limit job opportunities for thousands of workers at a time when it is crucial that we keep the labour market ticking in a challenging economy. ”

No doubt the temps will be thanking the bill's supporters for limiting their job opportunities. But then again maybe their voices won’t carry far enough for the folk on their high horses to hear them.