Wales TUC wants zero-hours work to be outlawed

THE general secretary of the Wales TUC has renewed her call for zero-hours contracts to be outlawed following research which shows the number of people working on “gig-economy” platforms has nearly tripled in England and Wales over the past five years.

The research – carried out for the TUC by the University of Hertfordshire with fieldwork and data collection by BritainThinks – shows that three in 20 (14.7%) of working adults surveyed now work via gig economy platforms at least once a week, compared to around one in 20 (5.8%) in 2016 and just over two in 20 (11.8%) in 2019.

That amounts to 4.4 million people in England and Wales working for gig economy platforms like Uber or Deliveroo at least once a week.

The overwhelming majority of workers use platform work to supplement other forms of income, reflecting that gig workers are increasingly likely to patch together a living from multiple different sources. This can lead to exceptionally long working days.

The gig economy has expanded further into the world of work, with an increase found across all types of platform work – a trend that has continued through the pandemic.

The TUC warns that this “spiralling” gig economy will lead to more workers on low pay and experiencing poor conditions.

It says the UK Government must stop letting gig economy platforms off the hook – and is calling for workers to have greater trade union and individual rights including a New Zealand-style right of access to workplaces for unions, including a digital right of access, to enable them to talk to workers about what membership can offer them; a new “worker” definition that covers all existing employees and workers and gives them the full range of legal rights; a ban on zero-hours contracts, by giving workers the rights to a contract reflecting their normal hours of work and adequate notice of shifts.

Gig workers face a twofold challenge. Often their bosses falsely claim they are self-employed with no rights, including no right to trade union recognition. But those who can prove they are workers still usually end up with far fewer rights than conventional employees. Many miss out on basic rights like the national minimum wage, paid holidays or sick pay.

Wales TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj said: “Everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work. But tens of thousands of working people in Wales are having to rely on casual and insecure gig economy work to make ends meet – often on top of other jobs.

“Gig economy platforms are using new technologies to carry out the age-old practice of worker exploitation. Too often gig workers are denied their rights and are treated like disposable labour. The Supreme Court Uber judgment earlier this year was just the beginning. Unions won’t rest until pay and conditions have improved for gig workers.

“It’s time for change. In Wales we’re working with the Welsh Government to drive up standards for workers in sectors like social care. But the UK Government must stop letting gig economy platforms off the hook. That means giving all gig workers trade union access, banning zero-hours contracts and boosting workers’ rights across the board.”

A UK Government spokesman said: “The UK Government is determined to make work pay across Wales and the rest of the country, having recently raised the National Living Wage, which will reach £9.50 next April.

“We are committed to going even further to support workers, pushing ahead with plans to include a new right for all workers to request a more predictable contract from their employers, giving individuals the security they need.”