BRUSSELS has been attacked for writing off temps as second class workers.

Cynthia Hemming, managing director of ASB Recruitment, Tunbridge Wells, and regional chairman of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), condemned the latest European draft directive on temporary workers.

She said REC, the trade association for the private recruitment industry, placed many of the country's 1.3 million temps, a staggering three per cent of the UK workforce.

But EU proposals could threaten around 160,000 jobs in the UK, she warned.

"There should be a balance between worker rights and flexibility but as currently drafted, we don't think it's got the balance right," she said.

The feeling in Brussels appeared to be that temporary working was "second best" and that "nobody in their right mind would do it”.

There was a lot of misunderstanding in mainland Europe about temps, she said, yet half the temps across the EU were in Britain.

"Increasingly, they are temporary workers by choice but Brussels see temps as downtrodden, lowly-paid workers and here that's just not true."

Mrs Hemming also spoke about illegal immigrants and the use of "gangmasters" to round up labour, often for seasonal work, especially in Kent.

She admitted there were a number of recruitment "cowboys" and it was important for the Government to crack down hard. But she claimed there were only a dozen inspectors to police the country's 13,000 agencies..

Mrs Hemming, who founded her business Action Staff Bureau 24 years ago, said: "I used to be inspected regularly but things have changed."

She promised that any REC member found to be flouting the rules would be expelled. Last year, the organisation dealt with 160 complaints.

She is determined to give the REC, formerly the Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services (FRES), a higher profile.

Its 6,000 member companies (700 in Kent and Medway) have a combined turnover of around £24 billion.

Marcia Roberts, REC director of external relations, urged clients to use an REC member as a guarantee of expertise and efficiency because at the moment anyone can set up a recruitment agency.

While three agencies in the Netherlands had 70 per cent of the market, in the UK the top 10 only had 16 per cent.

"We are the most fragmented industry in the world," she said. "Look out for the REC logo -- all members are vetted before they are allowed to join."