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The government, unions and employers have today agreed a deal that will give agency workers the same rights as permanent workers after their 12 weeks employment.
An agreement was reached between the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress that fairer treatment for agency workers should be promoted while ensuring the flexibility of agency work remains.
The legislation will come into place this autumn, but is dependent on a similar directive being passed in the EU before then.
Agency staff will get the same pay and holiday entitlement as permanent employees but the agreement does not cover sick pay or pension payments and temporary staff will have to work the same length of time as full-time staff before getting paid maternity leave.
Business secretary John Hutton said: "The agreement achieves our twin objectives of flexibility for British employers and fairness for workers."
The CBI had wanted a year to elapse before agency workers were given the same rights as permanent staff and called today's agreement "the least worst option".
Its Employment Trends Survey 2007 found that more than half (58 per cent) of agency assignments last less than three months.
