Union says temporary agency workers need representation

Service Union United has criticised employer associations representing companies that employ temporary agency workers, for not reaching collective agreements at company or sector level over union representation. The union says improving the position for temporary agency workers is particularly important and challenging, and that giving shop stewards the right to represent these temporary agency workers in the workplace would be an important first step.

Background

The Service Union United (PAM), affiliated to the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) believes that improving the situation of temporary agency workers in the workplace is particularly difficult when very few temporary workers even have a trade union representative.

PAM has criticised employers for not organising shop stewards to represent temporary workers and considers that a major step forward would be to give shop stewards the right to represent any hired agency workers within their workplaces.

PAM is critical of employer associations representing temporary agencies that have not been interested in either union-level collective agreements or central organisation-level collective agreements, which would be used to clarify the rights of representatives acting on behalf of temporary workers.

According to PAM, elected trade union representatives should have the right to a better flow of information in companies where they do not have the opportunity to meet daily with employees.

Improvement of employment security for temporary workers

PAM expects the new government will be ready to improve job security for temporary workers, either by establishing guaranteed pay or by tightening the conditions of fixed-term contracts, so that temporary employees will mostly become permanent workers in the future.

In general, they are in an unequal position compared to other employees. They often lack, for example, comparable healthcare, merit awards and other benefits offered to permanent staff.

PAM emphasises that improving the position of temporary workers is challenging at the workplace level, since they seldom know who their elected representatives are, yet these are the people they could seek help from in a problem situation.

Different reasons behind temporary work

In a recent survey of temporary workers conducted by privately owned market research company Taloustutkimus, it was shown that temporary workers are in general more satisfied with their jobs than those in permanent employment, with about 70% of temporary workers claiming to be satisfied.

The study shows that 52% were not currently interested in obtaining a permanent job through their temporary agency work and a total of 43% were doing temporary work because they hadn’t found a permanent job.

Young employees and those who were randomly working temporarily appreciated the extra income. Also for many it was not possible to do permanent work because of their personal situation. Three out of four respondents felt that their life would become more difficult if no temporary agency work was available.

More than half of the companies employing agency workers have used them as seasonal help or when permanent workers could not be employed. About a quarter used agency staff to replace permanent workers who were on sick leave, annual holiday or for other substitutions.

Pertti Jokivuori, University of Jyväskylä