Firms still seem to think we are all desperate for jobs, and would willingly take a low-paid job with solid rights to keep said job, rather than take a chance on £20ph+ stuff that might be gone a few weeks later…
I reckon we are coming to a time now when agency might finally come into it’s own.
At places where full timers resent agency (unionized places, typically…) people like me will be doing less work at those places, and rather more work doing “Holiday Cover”, which if you have an agency with a large enough portfolio of client yards - can have you working such holiday cover all year around, with re-visits to yards being on a regular basis.
I did this back in 2014, which was by far my best year on agency this past decade.
55 hours @ Fedex one week,
48 hours @ Yodel another week,
45 hours @ Menzes
40 hours @ Brakes, where I eventually went temp to perm…
No palletliner work, no hassle - depot to hub, stay at hub 3 hours-ish, take break there, rather than being kicked off bay, and having to park on double yellows in the service road to get that legal break in…
Best of all - no unpaid assessments prior to going into such places. Just turn up and go.