In brief
The EU’s proposed new rights for temporary workers will become law, despite UK objections. The European Council has been discussing a new Directive on agency workers since 2002, which would give temps in the UK the right to equal treatment with a comparable permanent employee on issues such as pay, maternity rights and protection against discrimination. Most EU states back these proposals, meaning they could be forced through under qualified-majority voting. Only the governments in Britain, Ireland, Germany and Denmark still object. Employers claim the rights would deter companies from hiring agency workers for busy periods or one-off projects.
