Catherwood LibraryILR School

The European Parliament yesterday handed the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair a major defeat, passing an amendment to European Commission (EC) legislation extending to temporary workers the full benefits and protections available to their full-time coworkers (see WIT for Feb. 18, 2002). Aimed at halting the growing practice of using temp workers on a long-term basis to lower labor costs, this controversial legislation would require employers to extend these benefits and protections to temp workers after six weeks on the job in order to stop. While Mr. Blair and the CBI argued that the law will rigidify labor markets and pushed for the six-week period to be lengthened to one year, the European Parliament pointed out that the legislation legalizes wider use of temp workers while protecting often vulnerable workers, in voting to extend benefits and protections as soon as a temp is hired.