ACAS provide information on employment rights and work issues generally, together with a confidential helpline, on their website.

The AWR give agency workers the entitlement to the same or no less favourable treatment for basic employment and working conditions, if they complete a qualifying period of 12 weeks in a particular job.

ACAS’s website has guidance on the AWR.

There is also GOV.UK guidance on AWR for recruiters. Although it is aimed at recruiters, workers may find it helpful too.

From the day you start work you have ‘worker’ employment rights. You also have the same rights as your permanent colleagues to use any shared facilities and services provided by the hirer. After 12 weeks in the job, you qualify for the same rights around things like pay and holiday as someone employed directly.

You can find information from GOV.UK on your rights as an agency worker.

To make a complaint to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (who enforce agency workers’ rights) use the online reporting form on GOV.UK.

JobsAware has some guidance explaining the main things to be aware of if you are an agency worker, including if you are asked to work through an umbrella company or limited company.

Guidance and a factsheet looking at pay, tax and benefit issues if you are an agency worker can be found on the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group’s (LITRG) website.

Under the ‘auto-enrolment’ initiative, all agencies/employers have to automatically enrol certain staff into a pension scheme and make contributions towards it. Usually, the staff member will also have to make contributions to the pension scheme, which the government may top up with tax relief. You can read more about auto enrolment on the LITRG website.