Temping has many benefits, and you have a right to be treated with respect, just as much as a full-time employee. Find out what your rights are when you work as a temp (an agency worker).
So what are your rights?
If you are an agency worker (i.e. you have been placed in a job by a recruitment agency) you are entitled to:
- no less pay than the National Minimum Wage(that’s £6.31 per hour)
- holiday pay
Once you have worked for a client for 12 weeks, you qualify for the same equal treatment as everyone in the organisation. Many recruitment agencies won’t necessarily tell you this, so make sure you get what you are rightly entitled to.
Maternity rights
Are you pregnant? You need to let your recruitment agency know of your pregnancy first, then send communication in writing.
When it comes to taking time off for your maternity leave, being an agency worker doesn’t mean that you are not entitled statutory maternity pay – although you will not be entitled to statutory maternity leave.
If you’ve worked for the same client for at least 26 weeks continuously by the time you are 15 weeks pregnant (the qualifying week) you should qualify for statutory maternity pay.
You must ensure that you give the correct notice of your pregnancy, and your impending maternity leave, and proof that you’re pregnant (the MATB1 form) to qualify.
Time off for antenatal appointments
Once you have worked with a client for at least 12 weeks, you can get paid time off to go to midwife and hospital appointments; and antenatal classes. This will cover not only the time for your employment, but the travel time if it’s during your normal working hours.
