Originally published as Covington E-Alert on June 15, 2011

The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently issued the final version of its guidance on the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, which implement Directive 2008/104/EC.

The Regulations come into force on 1 October 2011, and will entitle agency workers (or “temps”) to the same basic pay and working conditions as the hirer’s own employees; and access to the hirer’s facilities and information on job vacancies. Pay for the purposes of the Regulations is essentially the reward employees receive for work done, and includes basic salary, holiday pay, commission and bonus (where the bonus rewards the amount or quality of the individual’s work); it does not include severance payments, or “additional extras” such as long-term incentive schemes, loans or pension payments. This E-alert concentrates on those issues that we have identified in discussion with clients and industry groups as being of particular relevance to life sciences companies. It also takes into account the Government’s guidance, re-issued this month.

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