Matthew Taylor, the author of Theresa May’s employment review, has revealed his findings this morning and calls for all work in the UK’s economy to be “fair and decent with realistic scope for development and fulfilment”.
He has set out a number of recommendations to protect the rights of those working for companies such as Deliveroo and Uber, with the hope that these may enable a significant shift in the quality of work in the UK economy. He believes creating a balance between flexibility and fairness in the workplace will be important to future success, with Theresa May vowing to “build on the strengths of the labour market” while “avoiding overbearing regulation”.
The recommendations focused on challenges such as exploitation at work, increasing clarity in the law and helping people realise their rights.
Taylor recommends the following for the government:
- People who work for platform-based companies should be classed as dependent contractors and should receive holiday and sick pay
- Strategies must be put in place to make sure that workers do not get stuck on the National Living Wage
- A national strategy to provide good work for all “for which government needs to be held accountable”
- The government should also avoid further increasing the non-wage costs of employing a person
The review has not been received without criticism, with some unions and employment solicitors describing the report as ‘’feeble’’ without sufficient protection for workers against insecurity and exploitation.
The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, has also argued that the review is not the game changer needed. She is concerned that “many gig economy employers will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning” as it doesn’t seem that the report will “shift the balance of power in the modern workplace”.
However, upon hearing these concerns, Matthew Taylor maintains that “if all the recommendations are carried out it will be the biggest reset of employment law for the most vulnerable workers that we’ve seen in a generation”.
If you are an employer or a worker and you believe you are affected by the recommendations in this review or should you require any further information, please contact us online by clicking here or speak to a member of our specialist team on 0333 222 1855.
