In Hertfordshire sessional workers used to be called the County Supply Scheme - same set up as above but the council paid whatever the hourly rate for the work covered and for training for necessary skills for the type of posts the person was registered for, stuff like basic food hygiene and moving & handling for care staff. This at least meant the possibility that replacement staff might actually help a bit - now they've handed a contract to Manpower to supply staff, who a) don't appear to understand that just sending a warm body isn't good enough (strange idea to them! but different jobs require different skills) or b) have enough people so they farm it out to other agencies (making it even less likely that they will send someone that is of some use). The individual staff working for agencies are not getting paid a fortune but the agencies are raking it in!