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Ministers are to make it mandatory that temporary workers receive pay when they are forced to leave work for being sick, it has been reported.

The Fixed Term Employee Regulations 2002 are to be changed by ministers in the next few months, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials said recently.

At present, statutory sick pay (SSP) is not available to employees on contracts of less than three months. That leaves the matter of payment for periods when an employee is unable to work to the discretion of the employer.

"Ministers have decided to take steps to amend the Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of less favourable treatment) Regulations 2002," HMRC officials have said, according to Contractoruk.com.

"Agency workers with contracts of less than three months should not be excluded from entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay."

Last week, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called on the government to ensure that temporary workers have the same rights as permanent staff across the board.