Wasnt there a law that was brought out saying agency have to be paid the same rate a few years back? I remember agency telling me they now have the same rate for work of equal value.
But now agency drivers are earning up to 3 times as much.How can this be?
Agency should always get more as they have minimum job security. If you want three times more an hour hand in your notice and join them but for another company as where you are won’t have you on agency so you will have to go elsewhere.
Sploom:
Wasnt there a law that was brought out saying agency have to be paid the same rate a few years back? I remember agency telling me they now have the same rate for work of equal value.
But now agency drivers are earning up to 3 times as much.How can this be?
The Agency Workers Regulations which came into force in 2011 guaranteed parity pay after 12 weeks however it didn’t mean an agency couldn’t pay more, just that they had to pay AT LEAST parity pay. But as with everything from the EU there was a catch that was put in in order to get the directive passed, in this case to keep the Swedes happy. The thing that the agency were allowed to use that kept us from being paid the same as employers at the higher paying companies was the Swedish Derogation of the Agency Workers Regulations that stated as long as they paid you a minimum amount (8hrs in my case) in any week there was no work they didn’t have to give you parity pay. That derogation was repealed in December 2018 to come into effect from 6th April 2020 so you have to be paid at least parity pay after 12 weeks.
Agency drivers are earning up to three times as much because the parity pay rules state they must be paid AT LEAST the same, not that they have to be paid the same. So an agency is free to offer more than the pay the full time employees are on, they just can’t offer less. Because of the driver shortage and the massive rise in demand for lorry drivers agency drivers are able to attract some daft money in some parts of the country. I’ve seen £30 an hour being paid by an agency providing drivers to Lidl running out of Newton Aycliffe and Doncaster.
mrginge:
Agency should always get more as they have minimum job security. If you want three times more an hour hand in your notice and join them but for another company as where you are won’t have you on agency so you will have to go elsewhere.
Depends on how desperate they are. When where I’m at laid off several of their drivers last year they were back in on agency the following Monday and have been every day ever since, the only thing really changing being who pays them and provides their work uniform.
Ah,ok,I understand now
Years ago I worked for agency at a pallet line place doing multidrop collections.Going same places day in day out.
After 6 weeks the point In which agency are supposed get same terms and conditions as a premenant employee.
I was told not needed there anymore as.the jobs were cancelled .
Funny how i was at same.places every day for 6 weeks then all of a sudden the drops were cancelled not.
Not like I was overly bothered if honest
two other ways round it… umbrella companies so you might be on the same rate but more deductions for the agency cough i mean umbrella company other way is have you on a temp to perm so when the 12 weeks runs out they can say your not on thier books anymore. okay if its a day or two change over but mine fell foul in the middle of the first lock down didnt get taken on for another 3 months
I’m an agency guy and I’m earning more than the full timers.
I’m also gonna be let go after new year and I will have to find work elsewhere.
Swings and roundabouts.
I also don’t get company sick pay. And I’ve had shifts cancelled on me at short notice.
If you factor in cancelled shifts I’m still probably taking home less a month than a full timer despite earning more an hour
These days, surely the time has now come where full timers only have the illusion of “job protection” and “rights”?
If you have someone in a union, with seniority, and decades on a lucrtive old contract - wouldn’t it make sense for a firm to get rid of that worker on any pretence, eg. “too much sick leave taken” or “altercation with a customer”…?
There are plenty of situations where the union will side with the management against a member of staff who’s gone over some kind of line, especially when it comes to petty rules that no one gives a ■■■■ about, rather than actual company damage to finances and/or kit…
Thus, for all the lower-pay, crappy T&Cs a more recent addition to full time staff might endure - it isn’t worth a light, if you can STILL be got rid of at the drop of a hat - is it?
Yes,thats a good point,I think a full time contract is overated benefit,also I heard some drivers wont leave because of the sick pay,even turning down lucrative jobs on the basis of no sick scheme.But what I realised is you can buy sick pay insurance for £50 a month,so thats all a sick pay scheme is worth in real terms,I think
There are a few firms out there that have “Management Discretion” sick pay, where essentially if you are mates with the management, you can turn up half-cut on a monday morning, and get sent home sick on full pay… Compared to everyone else who gets docked a day’s pay for being off sick as “Unpaid Holiday” or “Special Leave ‘C’” …
If anything at work is “not automatic” other than instant dismissals - then a full time contract - really isn’t worth a light - is it?
I’ve lodged grievances over this thing of “saying you pay sick pay in your company literature when you don’t”… It’s complete fraud!
As suggested in earlier posts above - SICK PAY is one of the MAIN reasons that people decide a full time contract has better “protections” for worker’s rights than the standard Zero Hours Contract does - which isn’t ever a problem - if you’re Mr Fit who never goes sick, and works 12-15 hour shifts at the drop of a hat…
Sploom:
Yes,thats a good point,I think a full time contract is overated benefit,also I heard some drivers wont leave because of the sick pay,even turning down lucrative jobs on the basis of no sick scheme.But what I realised is you can buy sick pay insurance for £50 a month,so thats all a sick pay scheme is worth in real terms,I think
All schemes are not equal.
Some will pay out from day one…not many.
Some will start after one week or after one month.
They will all pay different amounts over differing periods of time.
One company I worked for paid full wages to two different drivers with serious family issues. Neither of them would have had a sick note, and so little to zero chance of money from an insurance company. £50 month won`t buy you that.
Sick pay schemes can be good or bad, whether private or company.
As with anything look at the details.
The only benefit I see as agency is you can have as much time off as you want ,sick / holidays , as for pay taking everything into account I personally don’t think there’s anything in it , though I’ve never earned 3x employed wage , more like 1.5x employed wage .
I’d say £15 ph is about the average employed driver wage , I doubt there’s many agency on £45 ph ( mon - fri ) .
My mob won’t pay me any more per hour than what they pay with parity
Another agency driver here. Yes my hourly wage at the moment is about +70% compared to the full timers where I work now. I do get cancellations though, but I’m kept on standby most of the time (agency pays me 8hrs just to not work for anyone else in the process).
I’m not sure how the new year will shape up though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What no one seems to be factoring in here - is the holiday build-up when one works PAYE agency…
It should be 12.07% of gross earnings…
You can take this whenever you wish, thus enabling you to take some during a week in mid january (for example…) when you get no work that week at all.
The 12.07 rate means that roughly, you earn one day’s pay for each two week block of four shifts that you work.
So, if you are flat out for 2 months, you’ll have earned enough to take an entire week off on your normal pay at a time selected by YOU being the important thing here.
There’s no need to “go without” or “use savings” or “worry” once you get established enough with an agency that you are above the starting pecking order where you only get offered the other agency cast-off shifts at the last minute…
Winseer:
There’s no need to “go without” or “use savings” or “worry” once you get established enough with an agency that you are above the starting pecking order where you only get offered the other agency cast-off shifts at the last minute…
Or alternatively you could just go full time and not have to ■■■■ about pinching this or that or worry what they’ll pay you for your week off. I had a week off three weeks ago…l
Winseer:
What no one seems to be factoring in here - is the holiday build-up when one works PAYE agency…It should be 12.07% of gross earnings…
You can take this whenever you wish, thus enabling you to take some during a week in mid january (for example…) when you get no work that week at all.
The 12.07 rate means that roughly, you earn one day’s pay for each two week block of four shifts that you work.
So, if you are flat out for 2 months, you’ll have earned enough to take an entire week off on your normal pay at a time selected by YOU being the important thing here.
There’s no need to “go without” or “use savings” or “worry” once you get established enough with an agency that you are above the starting pecking order where you only get offered the other agency cast-off shifts at the last minute…
I thought this was illegal , shouldn’t we be discussing how to stop it , not how to make it work !!
peirre:
My mob won’t pay me any more per hour than what they pay with parity
I did tell you to go full time Pierre , then have a look round if your not happy ( dozy knows best ) ha ha
the maoster:
Winseer:
There’s no need to “go without” or “use savings” or “worry” once you get established enough with an agency that you are above the starting pecking order where you only get offered the other agency cast-off shifts at the last minute…Or alternatively you could just go full time and not have to ■■■■ about pinching this or that or worry what they’ll pay you for your week off. I had a week off three weeks ago…l
But that’s surely average pay , for all we know you could of been working 70 hrs pw , weekends / b/ h etc etc , does it include nights out in holiday pay , I’ve no idea long time since I had it , company holiday pay
My last agency job was £20-£25 h ( 99% £20 ) , 3 days x 45 hrs = £900 pw , so £1,000 pw for 6 days a week ( you said you do 6 days on tug , nights out , b/h etc doesn’t look that good for the days / hours your doing
If your just doing days , 50 hrs pw , no extra shifts , b/h then it’s alright