A fixed term employee is defined in the Regulations as being someone employed under:

•  a contract for a specified term which is fixed in advance;

• a contract which terminates automatically on the completion of a particular task; or

• a contract which terminates automatically on the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of a specific event.

Agency workers are excluded, as are apprentices, people on government training schemes and students on university placements. The Regulations will only apply to employees, and not the wider class of “workers” covered by the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000.