TUC: Ministers must “up their game” on insecure work

7 Feb 2018 12:33 PM

• Government response to Taylor Review won’t end exploitative working practices
• TUC says 1.8 million workers will still be without key rights at work

Commenting on today’s (Wednesday) government response to the Taylor Review of Modern Employment practices, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The government has taken a baby step – when it needed to take a giant leap.

“These plans won’t stop the hire and fire culture of zero-hours contracts or sham self-employment. And they will still leave 1.8 million workers excluded from key protections.

“Ministers need to up their game. At the very least they must end the Undercutters’ Charter that means agency workers can be paid less than permanent staff doing the same job.”

Editors note

• The government has announced a consultation about whether to end the Swedish Derogation loophole, which allows agency workers to be paid less than permanent staff even when they do exactly the same job. The TUC describes this loophole as an Undercutters’ Charter for bad bosses.
• The TUC wanted the government response to the Taylor Review to announce:
  • A ban on zero-hours contracts to ensure workers get guaranteed hours, allowing them to pay bills and plan childcare.
  • Equal pay for agency workers, by ending the Swedish Derogation which acts as an Undercutters’ Charter.
  • A crackdown on bogus self-employment and steps to ensure workers enjoy the same floor of rights as employees, including redundancy pay and family-friendly rights.
  • Allowing trade unions to access workplaces, to support workers most in need of representation.
  • Increased resources and powers for enforcement, so that dodgy employers have nowhere to hide.