The facts about zero-hours contracts
The once traditional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, is now only the norm for a minority of people. As both employers and workers look for more flexible alternatives, the number of zero-hours contracts has grown rapidly in recent years leading to what has become widely-known as the ‘gig economy’. It’s estimated that 896,000 people […]
Pimlico Plumbers: worker wins supreme court judgement
Gig economy and employment status On the judgment date of 13th June 2018, Gary Smith was victorious, as his battle to be identified as a worker was further supported in a ruling at the Supreme Court. This employment status case is well renowned. It emphasised the fact that labelling a worker as ‘self-employed’ does not mean […]
The Taylor Review: what you need to know
Finally published a year after its announcement, “Good Work: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices” runs to 116 pages and contains many recommendations for change, including several that are of particular interest to employers and HR teams. ‘Worker’ status scrapped The Taylor Review proposes that a new category, ‘dependent contractor’, should replace the current […]
Uber granted right to appeal last year’s ruling
Cab firm Uber has been given permission to appeal a ruling made in 2016, that its drivers have worker status. The Employment Appeal Tribunal will determine whether the Uber drivers are ‘workers’, and therefore entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage and holiday pay. Background to the Uber case Two drivers originally brought the case […]
Court rejects firm’s appeal for its plumbers to have self-employed status
The gig economy remains firmly under the spotlight as Pimlico Plumbers loses its fight over the classification of its workers. Gary Smith worked as a plumber for Pimlico Plumbers for six years. He won an employment tribunal that challenged the company’s opinion that he worked for them as a self-employed contractor. The company had […]
What’s the future of the gig economy?
Following the recent employment tribunals of City Sprint, Uber and Deliveroo workers, what is the future of the gig economy? For several years, the gig economy and self-employment in the UK has seen a steady rise. Self-employed people make up about 15% of the UK workforce. Between July and September 2016, an extra 213,000 people […]