Bogus Agency Up-Front fees at Hotels – DTI agree Consultation

[Joe Rispoli]

Bogus Agency Up-Front fees at Hotels – DTI agree Consultation…
Unscrupulous individuals hire a venue for very short period, invite would be actors/models especially young children, to attend and then engage in hard-sell tactics to persuade them or their parents to pay high fees for the provision of ‘services’ and the promise of work which never materialises; and dashing children’s dreams.
Department of Trade & Industry Employment Agency Standards will explore the possibility of introducing a cooling-off period, perhaps by banning the seeking or taking of [up-front] fees on the day that a model/actor first met an agent. The DTI EAS are seeking to ensure that this would not disrupt legitimate industry practice but such a proposal would give individuals a chance to reconsider and perhaps make the practice less attractive to unscrupulous agents.
Any DTI EAS action taken will be done in a manner that ensures that enforcement action is targeted where there is risk. In addition, they will also look at how they can simplify the information provision requirements on agencies supplying workers for very short-term tasks. The DTI EAS are aware that aspects of this current provision form an administrative burden for agencies and user companies but do not seem to have any real benefit.
In short, the DTI EAS want to tackle these issues in a manner most effective for workers and least burdensome for industry and so will be looking to undertake a full consultation on the detail with a wide range of stakeholders. (Page 19)
The rationale for government intervention:
In the absence of Government intervention, vulnerable agency workers will continue to be mistreated as a result of certain work practices carried out by many businesses/agencies who act in ways they should not.
The DTI have just stated their intention to conduct a full formal consultation on these issues later this year.
What are the DTI EAS options?
1 Do nothing.
2 Introduce a package of measures to actually protect vulnerable agency workers.
Click on:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/successatwork.htm
Click on BBC links on model agency exposé’s:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/insideout/series7/extras.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series3/models_agency_scams.shtml
This is the first step by the DTI EAS – in the right direction. Remember the DTI did promise to ban all up-front fees from April 2004…

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