Thanets temporary situation

Sometimes it's the little things in life that matter, and hidden in a small column within the Isle of Thanet Gazette in their business briefs column, was this small but revealing fact that Thanet District Council spent £450,000 last year on temporary staff. I would wager that £450,000 would be the equivalent of something like average pay for maybe 25 people.

There are a number of ways to look at this, firstly if Thanet council need 25 additional staff in the year, why don't they give them a contract of employment. Also of this £450,000 just how much of this money would be creamed off by employment agencies. If Thanet council spend nearly half-a-million on temps just how much are they spending on directly employed staff, given that many of the 'officers' are trousering £ 30,000 plus.

No wonder it costs, me £25 a week, just to have the dustbins emptied and inspected for contraband such as grass clippings.

To be honest the whole area of temporary employment, is something that maybe government ought to look at, at best temporary staff are just that, people bought into an organisation to assist the short term, however in Thanet and across the country temporary employees are the backbone of many a company, unfortunately they are given the temporary status, just purely so that companies, can sidestep employment legislation.