David Coombes, Managing Director and founder of the recently launched online
job board Logistics Job Shop is calling upon the logistics sector to wake up to the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR).
"When the AWR came into force in the UK on 1 October 2011, agency workers
employed for 12 or more weeks in the same role - whether full- or part-time - acquired essentially the same pay and employment rights as directly employed personnel", says David. "This is a game-changer for logistics, which is probably the single sector most affected by the AWR in the UK. A high proportion of agency workers are employed in logistics roles in this country - most of them commercial vehicle drivers and warehousing personnel.
"The new regulations mean that many of the advantages of employing agency
staff have now gone. Even from day one agency personnel must be provided
with access to company shared facilities, including canteens, child-care and
transport.
"It is only a matter of time before logistics departments and third-party
logistics service providers begin reducing their dependency on agency labour
and start employing a higher proportion of their workforce directly. In the
present difficult economic conditions it is vital that their recruitment
processes are then as efficient and cost-effective as they can be.
"As a result, we believe more logistics departments and companies will be
turning to online job boards for their recruitment. Boards such as
LogisticsJobShop.co.uk are easy to use, and are highly time- and
cost-effective for recruiters - with charges as low as £50* for each
advertised position."
From January 2012, LogisticsJobShop.co.uk will be emphasising hourly-paid
jobs in its advertising and other marketing materials. "Although we will,
of course, continue to serve recruiters' needs for monthly paid, management
and supervisory personnel, our marketing focus will change to promoting the
effectiveness of LogisticsJobShop.co.uk in filling hourly paid positions -
including warehousing and driving roles", explains David Coombes. "Since
our launch in September, we have generated a database of 12,000 fully
screened hourly paid logistics and supply chain candidates in the UK - which
is already an amazing resource for recruiters."
www.LogisticsJobShop.co.uk