Personnel placement agency workers
Agency workers are hired by a personnel placement agency to meet labour needs in a company that is a client of the agency.
If you are an agency worker, you have the same rights and obligations (in French only) as all Québec workers with respect to the Loi sur les normes du travail and the Loi sur la santé et la sécurité du travail. The personnel placement agency that hires you and the client company you are working for must respect them.
The agency must have a licence
A personnel placement agency must have a valid licence issued by the CNESST to carry on its activities in Québec. You can check if an agency is on the list of licenced agencies (in French only).
The agency's obligations
The personnel placement agency must comply with all the working conditions provided for in the legislation enforced by the CNESST.
Wage disparity is prohibited
An agency cannot offer you a lower hourly rate than that granted to workers in the client company who perform the same tasks in the same establishment solely because of your agency worker status. For example, because you are paid by an agency or because you usually work fewer hours per week.
Restrictions on hiring
Six months after you are assigned, the client company may hire you. The personnel placement agency cannot prevent it from doing so.
Documents provided
When you are assigned, the agency must provide you with the following documents:
- a document that describes your working conditions and indicates the name and contact information of the client company
- the leaflet What you need to know about employment, provided by the CNESST, which explains workers’ rights and employers’s obligations with respect to work
Fees associated with your assignment
A personnel placement agency may not charge you fees associated with your assignment to a client company, such as fees for training or for providing assistance with hiring, such as assistance with writing your curriculum vitae (CV).