In some cases, temporary or agency workers don't only get paid when they're on an assignment; you may be offered what's known as a pay between assignments contract. This can seem attractive, as it means that once an assignment has finished, the agency will continue to pay you until another assignment is available. In effect, you become an employee of the agency, but with two main disadvantages, namely that: The actual figure for your pay between assignments will only be 50% of the pay you received for your most recent assignment, or the national minimum wage for the hours worked in that assignment; whichever is greater When you're on assignment, you'll acquire the same employment rights as other workers once you've completed 12 weeks in the same role – such as holiday accrual and working hours - but you won't automatically be entitled to receive the same pay While you may be tempted by the thought of getting paid between actual assignments, there can be a significant trade-off between pay security and actual levels of pay once you've signed one of these contracts. It's also worth bearing in mind that the agency can choose to end your contract after as little as four weeks between working assignments, making the comfort of 'guaranteed income' far less comfortable than you might wish. If you're considering signing a pay between assignments contract or have already signed one and feel that your rights are being infringed, talk to one of our experienced employment law solicitors. Call us on 0330 041 5869 or contact us and we'll call you.