FE News | REC supports more coherent labor market regulation through Labour’s Single Fair Work Agency proposal

REC (@RECmembers) supports more coherent regulation of the labor market

Commenting on Labor reports proposing a Single Fair Work Agency under the Make Work Pay agenda, Shazia Ejaz, REC campaign director, said:

“We have long called for a more proactive and unified approach to labor market supervision, both to help employers function better and to help all types of workers, including agency workers, feel more confident about their rights . We therefore welcome the establishment of this new body as suggested by Matthew Taylor in his Modern Working Practices Review. The key to this approach is retaining the expertise of the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate to oversee this work. Giving them enough opportunities to get a comprehensive overview of the labor market will make or break this approach.

“The need to introduce this is urgent, given that the recruitment supply chain is becoming longer and more complex every year, and the companies operating within it are not subject to any regulation at all, such as umbrellas.

“But be warned – any progress in enforcement must take agency work into account, as laws designed with permanent workers in mind often leave agency workers and agencies confused about the rules that apply to them. This makes it difficult for employers to get employees to take appropriate action, even if they want to.

“One point on enforcement will help our world-class flexible labor market continue to contribute to economic success. After all, REC data shows that almost a million workers are engaged in agency work every day, and a recent World Employment Confederation (WEC) employer survey found that eight in 10 respondents in the UK said they would increase their use of agency workers in the next two years. “