The 1st of October 2011 saw three significant changes affecting employment relationships and the recruitment industry. The long awaited Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (“AWR”) are now in force, the National Minimum Wage has increased and we no longer have a default retirement age. For anyone who is not already fully aware of the AWR and […]
The Agency Workers (Amendment) Regulations 2011 have been published and provide for three small but important amendments to the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 (“AWR”). These amendments relate to the definition of an agency worker, the Swedish Derogation and liability provision in the AWR and have been included to correct existing drafting errors and to address […]
The Department for Education has published final guidance for the application of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (“AWR”) on supply teachers and other teaching and support staff. It is available by clicking here The revised guidance provides some assistance in the question of ‘who is the hirer’ although it still leaves areas of uncertainty which the […]
It has become apparent that a number of agencies are being asked by their clients to use the Swedish Derogation model as a means of limiting client’s liability under the Agency Worker Regulations (“AWR”). But is this really the best solution for all involved? The AWR come in to force on 1st October 2011 and […]
IR35 and the AWR are not linked, despite initial indications to the contrary in the first publication of the BIS guidance. The second issue of the BIS guidance has removed reference to IR35 tests following consultation with the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (ARC). Under IR35 a number of tests have been devised to determine the […]
The Department of Business Innovation and Skills has published revised guidance to the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 addressing a number of minor inconsistencies in the previous version. One key change is in the area of ‘Pay between assignments’ (Regulation 10 or the Swedish Derogation as it is better known). The guidance now makes clear the […]
A recent case in the Court of Appeal (Owens v Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council) confirms that where a word is undefined in legislation, the courts can look to the ordinary meaning of the word. The case is relatively unconnected to any recruitment issues, as it concerned legislation relating to pensions for teachers in which the […]
There are a number of myths that persist surrounding the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (“AWR”) and workers who operate through their own personal service company (“PSC”). The first and most prevalent misinformation concerns the use of IR35 tests to establish that an individual is not an agency worker. This is based on the assumption that […]
Employment umbrellas fall within the definition of an Employment Business within the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and will also be temporary work agencies under the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 (“AWR”). However, the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (“Conduct Regulations”) largely do not apply as they do not offer work finding services. […]
The passing of the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 (“AWR”) through parliament was greatly influenced by union pressure on the Government. These regulations are now set to come into force in October 2011. The AWR creates new rights for agency workers to receive the same pay and working conditions as an employee who is directly engaged […]
