A NEW EU Directive that would give temporary workers the same rights as full-time workers is dividing the recruitment industry.

While some recruitment consultants in the city think the Temporary Agency Worker Directive would be damaging, others have welcomed it.

The directive would mean employers having to give agency staff the same pay and conditions as permanent staff, after six weeks in the job.

The draft directive has sparked a long-running battle over employment rights between business and unions and is due to be discussed by EU ministers today, in Luxembourg.

Louise Hewett, who runs Hewett Recruitment in Worcester and Kidderminster, said while she agreed agency workers should be protected, there were enough British laws already in place to do that.

She said the new directive would remove the flexibility of the temporary workers market and would "strangle" it.

"Unlike our European partners, here in the UK we are in the excellent position of low unemployment.

"Flexibility of temporary staff offers UK business the ability to respond to market forces and employment agencies have played a significant role contributing to the success of the UK economy by providing that flexibility.

"Strangulating the temping market with red tape could have exactly the opposite effect to that which the directive is purporting to achieve.

"Some employers may be tempted to employ people "cash in hand" and this is where real exploitation could occur. Then all the rights the UK Government has put in place for temps will be made a nonsense."

Blue Arrow Recruitment, which has an office in Bank Street, Worcester, agrees the directive could deter some employers from making use of a part-timers.

"An employer would be required to automatically extend equal pay and other entitlements to somebody who is only providing stand-in cover for a short period and therefore lacks the in-depth training required to deliver the same level of performance," said a spokesman.

"This could deter some employers from making use of a temporary workforce."

However, Randstad recruitment, in Worcester's High Street, welcomed the draft directive and said temporary workers with the company were already entitled to all the proposed benefits.

"We think it's brilliant," said Louise Smith, branch manager.

"It helps with retention and with quality. It works really well for us and encourages the temporary workers to take ownership of their role.

"People like to move around but this way they have the security of all the benefits."