European employment ministers are locked in a meeting to decide whether to expand the rights of temporary workers, in a move that could affect thousands of print workers employed in casual positions.
The proposed EU Directive on Temporary and Agency Workers would force employers to offer the same pay, holiday and pension entitlements to temporary and permanent staff.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has personally waded in to defeat the directive, which business leaders said would undermine Europe's ability to compete on the world market. The meeting lasts until tomorrow (6 December), though a result could be announced later today.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) claimed that 252,000 jobs across the entire economy could be at risk, based on a survey conducted in September of 507 UK companies. This research did not break down the impact on individual sectors, such as the print industry.
However, trade unions are strongly in favour of the directive, and union Unite has urged the government to support the initiative.
Casual employment is widespread in the print industry and Unite has been campaigning against the exploitation of temporary workers.
The union presented the Department of Trade and Industry with a survey showing the "abuse and misuse" of casual workers in June, including claims that book publisher HarperCollins was paying temporary workers far below the rate for permanent employees and did not offer overtime opportunities to staff because it was cheaper to employ agency workers.
Source: printweek
The proposed EU Directive on Temporary and Agency Workers would force employers to offer the same pay, holiday and pension entitlements to temporary and permanent staff.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has personally waded in to defeat the directive, which business leaders said would undermine Europe's ability to compete on the world market. The meeting lasts until tomorrow (6 December), though a result could be announced later today.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) claimed that 252,000 jobs across the entire economy could be at risk, based on a survey conducted in September of 507 UK companies. This research did not break down the impact on individual sectors, such as the print industry.
However, trade unions are strongly in favour of the directive, and union Unite has urged the government to support the initiative.
Casual employment is widespread in the print industry and Unite has been campaigning against the exploitation of temporary workers.
The union presented the Department of Trade and Industry with a survey showing the "abuse and misuse" of casual workers in June, including claims that book publisher HarperCollins was paying temporary workers far below the rate for permanent employees and did not offer overtime opportunities to staff because it was cheaper to employ agency workers.
Source: printweek
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