UK Flexible Workers to be given enhanced rights

The Government says that millions will benefit from enhanced rights as it responds to the Taylor Review into modern working practices. Has it gone far enough? 

Today’s ‘Good Work plan’, announced today by UK Prime Minister T.M (7th Feb 2018) comes in response to the independent Taylor Review, published last year, which investigated what impact modern working practices are having on the world of work. (Government press release here.)

The government plans include: 

• Enforcing vulnerable workers’ holiday and sick pay for the first time
• A list of day-one rights including holiday and sick pay entitlements and a new right to a payslip for all workers, including casual and zero-hour workers
• A right for all workers, not just zero-hour and agency, to request a more stable contract, providing more financial security for those on flexible contracts

What does everyone think of the #TaylorReview reflecting #gigeconomy #GoodWork plan that Theresa May has just announced for #flexibleworkers ?

— startacus (@iamstartacus) February 7, 2018

The Government is also launching a detailed consultation examining options, including new legislation, to make it easier for both the workforce and businesses to understand whether someone is an employee, worker or self-employed - determining which rights and tax obligations apply to them.

The government says it will also seek to protect workers’ rights by:

• Take further action to ensure unpaid interns are not doing the job of a worker;
• Introducing a new naming scheme for employers who fail to pay employment tribunal awards
• Quadrupling employment tribunal fines for employers showing malice, spite or gross oversight to £20,000 and considering increasing penalties for employers who have previously lost similar cases 

The government says it will ensure workers are paid fairly by:

• providing all 1.2 million agency workers with a clear breakdown of who pays them and any costs or charges deducted from their wages
• asking the Low Pay Commission to consider the impact of higher minimum wage rates for workers on zero-hour contracts
• considering repealing laws allowing agencies to employ workers on cheaper rates

The government says it will increase transparency in the business environment by:

• defining ‘working time’ for flexible workers who find jobs through apps or online so they know when they should be being paid
• launching a task force with business to promote awareness and take-up of the right to request flexible working introduced in 2014
• making sure new and expectant mothers know their workplace rights and raise awareness amongst employers of their obligations
• launching a new campaign to encourage more working parents to share childcare through Shared Parental Leave – a right introduced in 2015

Quality work will also be considered by the government when agreeing new sector deals with industry, encouraging employers to show how they are investing in their workforces to improve productivity.

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