An agency worker is someone who works through an agency that finds them jobs. The key point is that they are "workers" and not "employees" and so do not benefit from all of the same rights as the latter group. The firm hiring the worker pays a fee to the agency and the agency pays the worker's wages. Some workers choose agency work because of the flexibility it affords in terms of when and where they work and what type of work they do. The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, acknowledges: "Matching employers with short-term needs with employees with short-term availability or who genuinely prefer working this way as some do is not just a perfectly respectable business but good for the wider economy. "What rights are denied to agency workers? They cannot claim unfair dismissal when sacked without notice or good cause and have no entitlement to redundancy pay. They have no right to take maternity, paternity or parental leave or to request flexible working. Nor do they have the right to paid time off for antenatal care. The article summarises the main advantages and disadvantages of agency work.
The Guardian