Fixed term employment

(Prevention of less favourable treatment)
REGULATIONS 2002

The Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 came into force on 1 October 2002. Guidance has also been produced. The Regulations transpose the EC Directive on Fixed Term Work into UK legislation.

The Regulations prevent fixed term employees being treated less favourably than similar permanent employees, and limit the use of successive fixed term contracts. Transposition Notes (19Kb)  describe how the regulations transpose the directive into UK law, and a final Regulatory Impact Assessment (115Kb) estimates the benefits and costs of the regulations.

The Government has also made two amendments to the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. These cover Comparators (Regulation 2) and Access to Occupational Pension Scheme (Regulation 8(8)).

Consultation, January-April 2002 

The Government consulted on the Fixed Term Employees Regulations from January to April 2002 and has published its response. The consultation document – available in English and Welsh (25Kb) – included notes on the regulations and a summary of the likely benefits and costs.

The Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 also came into force on 1 October 2002. For further information, contact the Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning.

Previous publications relating to consultations on fixed term work