Hiring agency staff during strike action: reforming regulation

This consultation seeks your views on the impact of removing Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. Currently Regulation 7 prohibits employment businesses from providing agency workers to:

• cover the duties normally performed by an employee of an organisation who is taking part in a strike or other industrial action
• cover the work of an employee covering the duties of an employee taking part in a strike or other industrial action

The government wants to remove this regulation. It would allow employers facing industrial action to hire temporary agency workers from employment businesses to perform some of the functions not being carried out due to the industrial action.