From the 1 October 2011, the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (the Regulations) will give agency workers working in England, Scotland and Wales new equal treatment rights. This means that when you are taken on by an agency and supplied to work for the agency’s client (the hirer) you will be entitled to work under the same basic employment rights that would have applied if the hirer took you on directly. These new rights will apply after you have worked in the same role for the same hirer for 12 weeks.
However, from the first day of an assignment agency you will also be entitled to access collective facilities provided by the end user hirer to its own workers and to be advised by the hirer of relevant vacancies which arise within the hirer’s business. These are also referred to as ‘Day One rights’.
The Agency Workers (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2011 will come into effect on 5 December 2011 and give the same rights to agency workers working in Northern Ireland.