Temping and recruitment agencies - there are a total of 192 at the moment - will have to protect workers' rights and ensure quality of service, Labour Minister Anja Kopač Mrak said after the session.

Most notably, such agencies will have to conduct recruitment as their principal activity. This will prevent "every bakery or driving school to dabble in temping," Mrak said.

The agencies will have to have four times the share capital required for other limited liability companies (about EUR 30,000), with sole proprietors required to possess bank guarantees in the same amount.

Foreign companies will be required to have full-fledged subsidiaries in Slovenia while associated companies will be banned from establishing employer (agency) - user (company) relationships.

As a novelty, representative trade unions and employer' organisations will be allowed to apply for government licenses for career counselling and job seeking.

Agencies will be required to obtain special permits and fines will increase from a maximum of EUR 10,000 to EUR 30,000, according to Minister Kopač Mrak.

The new legislation, endorsed by both trade unions and employers, will be put on the government's agenda next week.

The changes follow many reports in recent years of rampant abuse, most notably workers getting paid well below minimum wage and failure to observe labour standards.