Employment Agencies Act 1973
Encyclopedia
Employment Agencies Act 1973 is a United Kingdom
Act of Parliament and part of a wider body of UK agency worker law. It regulates the conduct of employment agencies which recruit and manage temporary and permanent labour. It applies to approximately 17,000 employment agencies operating in the UK. It was introduced by a private member's bill.
Regulations prescribing further detailed rules were implemented in 1976.
drive, abolished the system of licenses with the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994
. Instead, enforcement of regulations would rely on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
, which can be reached on 0845 955 5105 or 020 7215 5980.
In 1999 the Employment Relations Act 1999 s.31 with Sch. 7 empowering the Secretary of State to make further regulations affecting agencies and their workers.
In 2003 new Regulations were introduced, replacing those from 1976. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibit the charging of fees, except in a small number of mostly arts related professions (e.g. modelling). The additions made in 2003 were few, primarily relating to confidentiality of information and candidate qualification checks.
Historical
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Act of Parliament and part of a wider body of UK agency worker law. It regulates the conduct of employment agencies which recruit and manage temporary and permanent labour. It applies to approximately 17,000 employment agencies operating in the UK. It was introduced by a private member's bill.
Introduction
In its original form, the Act provided for a system of licensing. Each business which wanted to set up an employment agency was required to have a license which would be denied or revoked if set standards on no fee-charging, advertising, and information. The Act came at the same time as similar reforms around Europe, for instance, the German Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz (Employee Hiring Law of 1972).Regulations prescribing further detailed rules were implemented in 1976.
Amendments
In 1994, the Conservative government, in its deregulationDeregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
drive, abolished the system of licenses with the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994
Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994
The Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It introduced wide ranging measures aiming to cut government expenditure and bureaucracy...
. Instead, enforcement of regulations would rely on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate is a division of the Employment Relations Directorate, part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which is meant to oversee employment agencies operating in the United Kingdom...
, which can be reached on 0845 955 5105 or 020 7215 5980.
In 1999 the Employment Relations Act 1999 s.31 with Sch. 7 empowering the Secretary of State to make further regulations affecting agencies and their workers.
In 2003 new Regulations were introduced, replacing those from 1976. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibit the charging of fees, except in a small number of mostly arts related professions (e.g. modelling). The additions made in 2003 were few, primarily relating to confidentiality of information and candidate qualification checks.
See also
- UK labour law
- UK agency worker law
- Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004The Gangmasters Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that regulates the agencies that place vulnerable workers in agricultural work, and the shellfish collecting and packing industries . It is the most recent plank of UK agency worker law...
- Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) BillTemporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) BillThe Agency Workers Regulations 2010 are a statutory instrument forming part of UK labour law. They aim to combat discrimination of people who work for employment agencies, by stating that agency workers should be no less favourably treated in pay and working time than their full time counterparts,...
Historical
- Robert OwenRobert OwenRobert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
- Labour Bureau (London) Act 1902
- Labour Exchanges Act 1909Labour Exchanges Act 1909The Labour Exchanges Act 1909 was an Act of Parliament which saw the creation of Labour Exchanges. The stated purpose was to help the unemployed find employment....
- Adams v. TannerAdams v. TannerAdams v. Tanner, 244 U.S. 590 , is a US Supreme Court case, which held that a Washington state law that prohibited employment agencies was unconstitutional.-Facts:...
, 244 US 590 (1917), a US Supreme Court case where a conservative bench, with liberal judges dissenting, decided that a Washington state law prohibiting employment agencies was "unconstitutional". - Unemployment Convention, 1919Unemployment Convention, 1919Unemployment Convention, 1919 is an International Labour Organization Convention.It was established in 1919:Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the "question of preventing or providing against unemployment",......
, after the ILO's first Recommendation, this called for public employment agencies to be established with a monopoly - Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention, 1933 (shelved)Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention, 1933 (shelved)Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention, 1933 is an International Labour Organization Convention.It was established in 1933:Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to fee-charging employment agencies,......
- Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised), 1949Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised), 1949Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention , 1949 is an International Labour Organization Convention.It was established in 1949, with the preamble stating:...
- Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 is an International Labour Organization Convention.It was established in 1997, with the preamble stating:...
(n.b. the UK never signed up to any of these ILO conventions)
External links
- Directgov site on "what is an agency worker?"
- DBERR's website for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
- Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate guidance