Unions have likened the working conditions of some of the UK's 600,000 temporary workers as being reminiscent of the "dark ages".
The TUC has delivered a dossier of abuse of temporary staff to ministers.
The dossier included instances of temps being denied training, having to pay for work clothing and receiving lower wages than permanent staff.
However, employers said the TUC's case studies were not representative of how temps are treated generally.
Harrowing
The dossier contains sometimes harrowing depictions of life as a temp worker. One temporary factory worker said her life was filled with insecurity and she felt treated as a second-class citizen.
"Over the years we have endured the stress and strain of not knowing if we were to be finished at a minutes notice if costs had to be cut in the area we worked in," she said.
"We never got asked if we wanted to do any over time as that was for the permanent staff as well, we would be stealing their overtime if we got it."
The worker added that she was often asked to do work that she had not been trained for and received only Statutory Sick Pay even after being involved in a workplace accident.
Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said such experiences were not uncommon.
"Temping is vital to today's modern economy, but with no proper protection too many agency temps are suffering working practices from the dark ages."
"Too many are treated like a throwaway second-class worker and have to take it or leave," Mr Barber said.
But in response the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), which represents recruitment agencies, said it was unfair to depict the treatment of temps in such a negative light.
"We are not condoning poor treatment, but to talk about dark age treatment just isn't right," said REC deputy chief executive Marcia Roberts.
"Our research suggests that temp working suits the employer, the lifestyle of the worker and boosts the UK economy."
The group added that temps were far from being low-paid and low-skilled, with over half having attained an A-level qualification.
European directive
The TUC has long called for temps to be given the same rights as permanent staff.
Under UK law, temporary workers have no right to redundancy pay, to claim unfair dismissal or to take maternity leave.
But last month the TUC's campaign took a serious blow when the European Commission shelved the draft Agency Workers Directive (AWD).
The AWD would have ensured that temporary workers enjoy the same conditions as permanent staff.
The AWD is one of 68 draft directives earmarked by the European Commission to be scrapped in a bid to cut red tape.
Business opposes the rights of temps being brought into line with permanent staff.
"We don't want something in the labour market that will stifle employment growth," Ms Roberts told BBC News.
Have you been affected by issues covered in this story? Your comments.
I have been working on temporary contracts for a year and half now and have found it very rewarding. I get paid far more than if I worked on a permanent contract and the fact that I move company every 2-6 months means that I have gained far more cross-industry experience than if I had stayed in just one job. Ultimately, a temp worker gives less commitment to their employer so why should the employer have to give the same commitment to their temps as they do to their permanent staff? If you don't like temping, stop complaining and make an effort to get a job you do like!
Robin Campbell-Burt, London, England
Speaking as a recruitment specialist, hiring temps does allow firms to sidestep some of the provisions they are required to make to permanent staff, however it also provides liquidity in the employment market which does not exist in other European countries in which employment law which obliges companies to provide a lot to their employees. This means that employers are much more cautious before employing anyone including temps (where they even exist). This leads to further unemployment as firms would rather not hire at all than hire someone they then can't get rid of if things go wrong.
Mark, London
I worked as a temp for years, and in my long experience it's the temping agencies themselves that lie very firmly at the root of the problem. I don't say this out of a case of sour grapes, as I've also worked permanently in the office of a temping agency and witnessed first hand, from the inside, the culture that prevails. In the main, temping agencies and their parent chains care only about profits, sales targets, bonuses and that their clients pay on time. The temps themselves are just human units to be shifted around and jammed into whichever job is available, regardless of suitability.
S Jones, England
Working as a temp 30 years ago and having recently returned to it while looking for a permanent job I find that I am earning the same hourly rate as I was then! Possibly it was more recognised back then that temporary workers needed a higher hourly rate to take into account the lack of benefits. However, on the flip side, some agencies do offer holiday and sick pay now, as well as other benefits, which of course only really works if they can find you work! One thing that hasn't changed is the temp is usually the "catch-all" for most of the mundane jobs that the permanent staff don't want to do!
Kate, Warrington
I am a temporary worker, and have been now since 1994. I work in I.T with very specific skills that are valued and (until recently) were difficult for companies to find staff competent in. As a consequence I have always been paid a premium at the risk of less security and less benefits. I have always found the use of temps to be the result of poor management. When most companies these days can not plan their finances from one year to the next, how can they be expected to manage their worker requirements any better. A sign of the times and the volitility of business ecconomics.
Joseph Postin, Tamworth UK
I gave up full-time work [in the IT industry] ten years ago and now work as a 'temp' – paid by the hour, sorting my own taxes, paying my own pension, funding my own sick-pay etc. It's brilliant – where before I was faced with a day-in day-out repetitiveness now I don't know what the day will bring – if anything. Last week I got a call offering me two days' work in Zurich – I took it and got paid as much as I'd get for working two weeks at my old job. Brilliant!
David Moran, Reading, UK
I have been a CAD technician working on temporary contracts for 27 years because permanent salaries are poor in relation to contract rates The only difference in 'security' of employment is one week's notice instead of four weeks. Also if you're any good, you shouldn't worry about continuity of work.
Alan, Croydon
If you want the rights of a permanent worker, get a permanent job! The whole point of temps is to cover a temporary labour shortage or a production increase. Once this reduces, employers are left with staff they do not need and in most cases, cannot afford to pay. If temps are given the same rights as standard employees then temps will simply not be employed anymore leaving the perm workforce to cover the shortfall. Someone will lose in this argument, and the temp worker knows the score when they sign up to the agency so why should it be the long serving loyal employee? I do agree however, that if a temp has been employed for say six months by the same client, they should be given more rights than a standard temp who is only there to cover a week's holiday.
Claire, Leeds
I was released by an American Investment bank after I fractured both elbows at the work place. Having come in the next day after seeing the specialist I was made to sit at my PC for three hours going through my emails. Several days later my agent called me to tell me that they had terminated my contract, my manager would not even phone to tell me herself. I am afraid that as a temp, particularly in banking, one has no rights, even as a human being, what so ever.
Timothy Lyes, London
I worked for a logistics company as a temp employee vetting person in HR. I quickly moved into accounts and was told that I would be made permanent within a couple of weeks. 6 months later I had received no contract and one of the directors had changed his mind and my contract ended same day. This was on a friday at 3pm! great start to the weekend that was.
Nick, Middlesex
I have worked as a temp in IT for 7 years and would never consider a perm role. In IT I earn at least twice as much as I would be offered for a perm position and in the office I work in only 4 members of staff out of 23 are on perm contracts so in some industries the situation is different. Many people in IT would never go perm because we can't afford it.
Jamie, Devon
After graduating I was unsure where I'd find work and what I wanted to do. I needed money and temping was a good way of experiencing a mixture of environments (but repetitive mind numbingly dull tasks). The temping roles I was placed in gave me access to applying for internal jobs and, in one instance, being offered a role without applying for it. Temping's an excellent stepping stone into a company – I'd recommend it to any permanent job seeker!
Ed, London
I worked as a temp for just over a year at one company before I gave up hoping for a permanent position. Although I was overloaded with work, especially when permanent staff were being made redundant, I was treated very well by all and gained really excellent work experience. More importantly, I would like to point out that I received four weeks paid holiday – paid for by the recruiting company – not the actual company where I worked. The agency told me this was the new temps employment law – which started in 2000-2001. Anyone not receiving 20 days paid holiday, whilst working full-time for a recruiting agency, should be calling them to ask why not.
Isabel, Woking, Surrey
I wish people would stop talking about holiday pay. You are paid for the work you do and nothing more. If you have 4 weeks paid leave per year, this means 48 weeks income is stretched over 52 weeks to give the illusion you are getting something for nothing. Try taking the money instead of the holidays – most employers will not allow you to do this. Temps have the choice of working all year if they like – permies don't.
Julian, London, UK
After taking early retirement from BT I needed to get a job for 6 months until my pension kicked in. I was at the time of leaving, BT, an acting manager. It was without doubt one of the happiest times of my life, I was treated with genuine respect by my full time co workers, and often asked to help them out with problems, the pay was not great but the working conditions superb, I could work the hours I liked up to a maximum, starting early and finishing mid afternoon. It was with genuine regret I left the job, to retire permanently to Spain. I realise that my position was unique, and the money less important than to someone without a pension as back up, but it was nice that a 52 year old, could be accepted so well by colleagues of a younger generation.
David, Leon, Spain
Why not do as I did to get permanent status. I went in as a Temp to permanent worker at a lower grade than my CV/qualifications stated, proved myself, got made permanent then promoted and now have 'all the benefits' including a good permanent job.
A Potter, London UK
Temping, if you have no choice or if you're working in your chosen field is all fine and dandy… but if you have specific skill sets that aren't being put to use within your temporary assignment, then it leads to future potential employers questioning why you spent 2 years doing a data entry position when you're qualified to be a doctor… Temping to me has been a tightening noose around my neck ever since I started 2 years ago, the longer I temp the less chances I seem to have at the positions I want, those positions I want seem to be near non-existent and when they do appear.. the question "so, tell me again, why have you been temping for so long?" always crops up…
Eric, Cheshire
Speaking as someone who has been a temp and employed them in the past, this report is very biased and unfair. Temps either get holiday pay or are paid extra per hour to compensate, it is the law and they are entitled to 20 days, same as everyone else. There is nothing wrong with companies rewarding permanent staff loyalty with higher pay. Temps can be laid off quickly but they can also leave quickly if they choose to do so. I doubt anyone complaining would offer training or free clothes to someone who may only be working a week. If you choose to take a temporary contract, you have to take the drawbacks with the perks, there are plus sides to both temporary and permanent work for both employers and employees.
Dave, West Yorks
This country is very ageist and only want to employ those who have recently left university as if they are the only ones who are able to do a decent job. Employers should be open in their recruitment policies and not be ageist. I have 20 years experience as a fully qualified Secretary/PA but that accounts for nothing in the current market, the only way I can get employment is by temping. Whilst temping you have to build up a reputation of being efficient, trustworthy, excellent at the job, this will enable you to be in contracts with various companies whether they are on a long or short term basis. It takes time to build up a reputation, and in doing so there could be periods where you're not working, which could add stress. In my current situation it suits me to temp as I like being paid weekly for all the hours I work.
Nina, London
As a trained CAD technician (computer aided design) with qualifications in both 2d & 3d design (city & guilds and 10 gcse's/3 A-levels) It took me over a year working as a temp, for the minimum wage with no sick pay or real job security to try and get a full-time place at my current company. In the words of my recruiter at the agency- what the company pays you for the same work as everyone else who works doing the same job at the firm, is derisory, coupled with the fact they failed to offer me a full-time position for more than a year, despite my good standard of work and timekeeping etc.
M, UK
Temporary workers get the normal UK employment protection (against unfair dismissal etc) once they have completed 12 months of "continuous employment". Even if the temp's paper contract is with an agency, the Court of Appeal's decision in Dacas v Brook Street Bureau (2004) states that there is an implied contract of employment between the temp and the organisation they are working for. This means agency temps are also protected after 12 months of continuous employment.
Charles, London, UK
There has been very poor clarification and reporting of the various EU directives/'statements' on temporary staff. I recall articles in the press two years ago that temps would be afforded similar rights to perms after 6 mths of continuous employment – something that seemed to make a lot of sense. Since these articles nothing further has come through in the press – is this because they are no longer in play? Again the EU/UK policy cloud has left me confused and lost.
Nigel, London
I have had many temp jobs to fit around the needs of my family. The people who I work with are always very nice and treat me on an equal footing but I find the conditions of the temp agencies really distressing. I am receiving just above minimum wage and am not paid for sickness or bank holidays. The agencies are not interested in their employee as a person and I feel that companies should be obliged to offer you a job if you are a long term temp. The very least you should be offered should be a short term contract with the same conditions as other workers.
Linda, Coventry
I have been temping for a number of years at the same company and feel the experiences described in your article are rather limited. I temp because I earn more money this way in my profession than if I was a permanent member of the company. Holiday pay is added per hour and adds up to twenty days holiday a year. Some agencies even encourage you to set yourself up as an independent company, thus enabling you to have all sorts of tax breaks. As in all things, it depends what you make of it.
Adam, London
When I was temping in Bristol, I often found that I was on more money per hour than the permanent staff… so if they offered me a permanent position it would have meant taking a wage cut. This was not all good though as this often left permanent staff with a bitter feeling towards the temps.
Tina, London
It works both ways, they can get rid of the temp at a moments notice just as you can tell them you're leaving at a moments notice. If you want more security then get a permanent job. Temping suits some people's life styles and not others. I have had temping jobs from working in factories to skilled IT work and enjoyed it all knowing that there are no ties for me either. Quit moaning you lot!
Renna, Berkshire
It is typical of the Unions to make stupid demands like this. They want to return us to the 1970s and it disgusts me that they are even given airtime. We have heard far too much from them over the last few months.
Derek Blighty, UK
Since leaving the RAF ten years ago I have never had a so-called permanent job because none of the positions I've been in have lasted more than two years. Therefore I have never had any employment protection rights. For the last two years I've been a temp and I have to say that in general my treatment has been excellent. I'm sure there are some unscrupulous companies who treat their temp staff badly, but the same can be said for companies employing "permanent" staff.
Simon Ridley, Cambridge
Temps are there for a reason, to fill a gap for a temporary period of time. If you do not like the way that temps are treated, get a permanent job, what's stopping you?
Beth, East Sussex
To Beth East Sussex, the reason I cant just 'get a permanent job' is because despite my numerous qualifications (12 GCSE's, 4 A'levels, a law degree and being a qualified barrister) no-one will hire me because I'm over-qualified and no-one believes I don't want to be a lawyer anymore. Not all temps are lazy layabouts.
Sara, Birmingham,England
I have been working as a temp for the last 9 months, due to the lack of job opportunities for graduates in Plymouth and the surrounding area. I left university with good degree yet my wage is considerably less than my permanent colleagues and I also miss out on the benefits that they take for granted, such as holiday pay and sick pay. I work the same number of hours and the same shift patterns, but if I want to go on holiday for a week or two, then I have to put up with the fact that I won't receive any income for the time that I am off. This seems to be very unfair and I think that a little more consideration needs to go into working packages for temporary workers.
Gemma Phelps, Plymouth, Devon
You don't get paid holiday at the same rate you do when you are 'at' work, you don't get any holiday at all, you have to earn one 1/2 days for every month/6 weeks you work, you don't get paid if you are sick, and you are frequently looked down on. I have worked as a temp for almost 2 years, and because I am overqualified to do the menial temp jobs I do I can't find a permanent job and plenty of people love to criticise you. Companies presume that you are stupid, and I have heard of plenty of horror stories of temps who fail to turn up, walk out at lunchtime, steal or are generally useless. Don't tar us all with the same brush.
Sara, Birmingham,UK
I began work on a temporary contract at a publishing firm earlier this year and was fired whilst in hospital because I missed 2 days work even though the boss admitted my work was absolutely fine. I really feel that temps should have some legal claims over unfair dismissal because it leaves us vulnerable to this kind of treatment by unscrupulous employers.
Helen Thompson, Peterborough, England
Before moving to Liverpool I worked as a recruitment consultant in London for many years and have worked in Industrial (warehouse, factory etc.) and Financial (highly skilled qualified accountants) each presenting very different working environments to the temp worker. It needs to be understood that the term temp is a very broad one which covers a far wider range of people and situations then seems to be accounted for in this article.
Paul Dalziel , Liverpool
I have worked as a temp for a few companies and only one has treated me inline with permanent staff. The wages are generally poor and the perks are non-existent. Worse still are the companies which employ on a temp to perm basis. They tell you that you will be made permanent after 3 months, don't believe a word of it! In 3 month time they will tell you that you will be made permanent in 3 months; a pattern that repeats until they no longer need you and they terminate your contract. It appears to be a way of attracting more skilled people into a temporary position. Having said all this, when I have been in permanent positions I have not been treated any better (although I have got more protection).
Lee, Birmingham
I'm temping while I look for a permanent job after returning from a position overseas. The conditions are reasonable and it's a lot better than doing nothing or signing up for an unsuitable longer-term job. In most European countries the temping option scarcely exists. As far as I'm concerned, a job with limited prospects is much better than no job.
John, East Anglia
Working as a temporary worker is a good way to get the essential experiences. But I think these employees don't get the best treatment, in terms of wages, employee rights and so forth. A permanent job is much better, with greater security.
Noobin Ahmed, London
All Temps should be given a job or a defined period say 6 months if the firm wants to keep them on after this they should make them permanent. Firms keeping 'temps' for years should not be allowed. If you do a job year in year out you should have access to the same rights as a permanent employee. Large organisations are employing large numbers of temps for long periods this should not be allowed.
Sandra, Nottingham
Thursday, 31 January, 2002, 21:35 GMT Globalisation forum mulls NYC's future
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