Committees

Sports Direct recruitment agency questioned on rights of workers

28 March 2017

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee questions Transline, the recruitment agency which supplies workers to Sports Direct's Shirebrook warehouse and formerly to Amazon.

Witnesses

Tuesday 28 March 2017, Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

From 9.30am

  • Lindsay Judge, Senior Research and Policy Analyst, Resolution Foundation
  • Tim Thomas, Director of employment and skills policy, EEF
  • Steve Turner, Assistant General Secretary, Unite the Union
  • David Camp, CE, Association of Labour Providers

From 10.30am

  • Ben Grover, External Policy Adviser, Association of Recruitment Consultancy
  • Jennifer Hardy, Finance Director, Transline Group
  • Tim Roache, General Secretary, GMB
  • Adrian Gregory, Director, Extraman Ltd

Purpose of the session

Focussing on use of agency workers, the Committee also hears from Unite the Union, which is expected to update MPs on the terms and conditions of agency workers in Shirebrook, and from GMB General Secretary, Tim Roache.

The session is part of the Committee's inquiry into the future world of work and rights of workers and focuses on the benefits of agency work to workers, employers and agencies and the restrictions that agency workers have in their terms and conditions.

Rapidly changing nature of work examined

The Committee explores whether employment status rules have kept up with changes in the labour market and examines specific protections for agency workers and enforcement of the minimum wage.

Witnesses include Transline's Financial Director, Jenifer Hardy, and Unite's Assistant General Secretary, Steve Turner. Lindsay Judge, from the Resolution Foundation, which has highlighted the prevalence of agency workers, is also questioned.

The inquiry is looking at the rapidly changing nature of work and the status and rights of agency workers, the self-employed and those working in the gig economy. The Committee is considering issues such as low-pay and poor working conditions for people in these non-traditional roles.

Further information

Image: iStockphoto