BOSSES have warned that proposed European Union laws on temporary workers could damage their businesses.

The draft European Agency Workers Directive would give temporary workers full employment rights after just six weeks in a job.

Nigel Bourne, the CBI’s South East Regional Director, based in Sevenoaks, said: "If approved this legislation could cause irreparable damage to the UK’s successful temping market, the largest in Europe employing over 700,000 people, triggering a huge cut in job opportunities.

"Taking on temps would become much less attractive, denying many the chance to progress into full-time employment. A flexible employment market is also vital to attracting inward investment."

Figures from the annual CBI-Pertemps Employment Trends Survey show 60 per cent of respondents fear the proposed temps law would lead to reduced temping opportunities.

The CBI’s position, which calls for a longer period of up to one year before agency temp legislation kicks in, contrasts sharply with the TUC, which is pressing the Government to end its opposition so that equal employment rights would apply from day one.