Advertisement 
The concern for freelancers will be that - as has been evidenced in the past - commendable attempts to crack-down on abuses of employment rights by forcing people into a self-employed models, sometimes adversely affect the business model used by freelancers.
A report by the TUC says that 3.2 million UK workers are now in precarious work – and the number of workers at risk of missing out on key employment protections has nearly doubled in a decade to 1.5 million (an increase of 700,000).
The report – Living on the edge – shows that 1.5 million people now risk missing out on protection from unfair dismissal and the right to redundancy pay (even if they have worked for two years or more for an employer). And nearly half a million (485,000) have no legal right to sick pay due to low pay.
Living on the edge also reveals that the pay penalty for some forms of precarious working has worsened over the last decade:
- Zero-hours workers now earn £3.80 less an hour than the average employee – a third less (34 per cent), compared to 26 per cent less in 2006. Hourly pay for zero-hours workers has increased by just 67p in the last decade
- Self-employed workers now have earnings 40 per cent lower than those of employees, compared to 28 per cent lower a decade ago. One in three (34 per cent) self-employed households earn less than £200 a week – over 1.2 million families.
- Casual workers still get paid nearly 40 per cent less an hour than the average worker – no improvement on a decade ago.
Taylor Review
The report calls on Matthew Taylor’s independent review of employment practices to strengthen legal protections for precarious workers.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Insecure work has exploded in the past decade. In far too many cases, the only people who’ve benefitted are bad bosses. Sports Direct can’t be the employment model for the 2020s.
Advertisement 
The TUC believes that the Taylor review of employment practices should examine the following areas:
1) Making sure everyone can access decent rights at work:
The TUC believes that existing rights should be available to all those in work, not only those who qualify for ‘employee’ status. This includes family friendly rights, protection from unfair dismissal and the right to redundancy pay.
2) Guarantee that self-employment is a choice made by the worker, not the employer:
Employers should not be able to ‘opt-out’ of their employment and tax responsibilities simply by labelling someone as self-employed. The TUC wants all workers to qualify for all workplace rights unless the employer can demonstrate the individual is genuinely self-employed.
3) Secure protection for everyone when they cannot work:
All workers, including those on low pay should be entitled to statutory sick pay and policymakers should look at extending other forms of support such as paternity pay.
4) Ensure that workers can challenge bad employers in court:
Tribunal fees should be abolished. Since introducing fees of up to £1,200, the number of employment tribunal cases has fallen by over 9,000 a month.
5) Strengthen workers’ ability to organise for better conditions at work:
Expanding union presence in workplaces is a vital route to tackling insecurity. A good start would be to make it easier for all workers, including those in precarious jobs, to be able to talk to a union rep. Unions should therefore have a right to access workplaces or to meet with staff during working hours.
--
If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'.
-
Susie Hughes © Shout99 2016
|
