Temp Agency question

Dee123_2

Does anyone know if it is allowable for an agency to charge a client company time-and-a-half for a proportion of the set working week but not pass it onto the temp?

Thanks

Dee

homersimpson_3

From your question it seems temp agency is charging co where you work 1.5 x what co employees are earning - is my reading of post correct? - - it is common practice amongst temping agencies used by the companies i have worked for. temps are paid more than full-time workers for doing essentially same jobs and temp agencies makes nice little profit. temp agencies would say extra is to cover costs

Dee123_2

Thanks for the reply Homer. Not quite what I meant.

Yes, the agency will pay the temp a set rate and then charge the company a higher one.

In this case, the temps set working week is 40 hours. However, the agency is paying the temp a flat hourly rate for all 40hours but has agreed with the client company that they will charge them a flat fee for 37.5 hours a week but for the remaining 2.5 hours the company must pay time and a half. This is not passed on to the temp.

Astaroth

The rate the agency is paid and the rate the employee is paid do not have to be any way connected and therefore I would say it is perfectly legal for them to do this.

They will say it is more difficult to find people for one reason or another and so increase their rate but it is more difficult in finding someone at short notice/ specific skills/ for such a short contract/ unfavourable hours rather than necessarily because they will have to pay the candidate more.

ts_aly2000

Agencies are the scourge of the earth!!

2 years ago I was working for an agency and was being paid £14p.h. The agency were charging about £26p.h. with the people in accounts thinking I was getting that.

Agencies pass on as little as they can get away with to the temp.

As for this suggestion that temps earn more than the full-timers. I wouldn't bet on it.

McDuck

Agencies are businesses.

People seem to forget this, they have to pay rent, heat, tax, wages etc. Prehaps the biggest issue that they face is late / non payment. It is not un common to have to pay the temp weekly and wait 8-12 weeks for payment.

Make sure that you get a good deal from the agency but don't forget that agencies aren't all bad.

(retreats and expects the backlash)

Dee123_2

No backlash McDuck, at least not from me I understand they need to make as big a profit as they can get away with.

I've worked for a lot of agencies (years ago though) who generally took about 33%. This one my friend is working for takes a lot more than that, and then he found about this "clause". Someone told me they thought it was illegal so I figured I'd check with the all-knowing crowd here!

Astaroth

Back in the dark distant days of my first job we used to use emergency temps to take phone messages for us (pre days of min wage). We used to pay the agency £17.50 (ish) per head per hour and they paid their people about £3 per hour.

As per my original post, it is not illegal for the agency to take any amount of money and give the temp any amount of money as long as it is inline with min wage rules.

tiger

i think the original question is not been adressed here correctly.
if the 2.5 hours are been charged at time and half then this should be passed on to you.have a word with the agency if they are not cooperative then talk to your line manager. i was in similar situation few years back.when theco phoned up the agency they didnt havemuch to say but agreed to pay me 1.5 all backdated.some how they are cheating the co. bysaying 1.5 and then not passing it on

[Deleted User]

Sometimes when you get a temp job you will earn more than the workers in that company but in other times not

7years ago i when i was 16 i was getting £5.50 an hour when i worked in an office for a week on the computer, but the other workers were not getting this much and i heard them speaking bout me 1 break time as they found out i was getting more than them.(£5.50 was a good wage i recon 7 years ago for a 16 year old)

A Couple years later i was temping again and getting £5 an hour but the other workers were getting £5.66. I would get double time, triple time etc but if i got £15 they would get £16.98. Also for the 9months i was there i got 1.5 holidays a month from my agency whilst the workers got i think was 33days roughly a year.

first situation i was getting more but the other job less. I recon it just depends really.

[Deleted User]

oops i was agreeing with ts_aly2000 and not answering the question.

Well after my 9months at the hostel was getting offered other general labourer jobs which included weekends but were just paying £5 and £5.25 per hour which wasnt very good especially for sunday work.