|
Last year, Prime Minister Theresa May set up a review into
modern employment practices after an outcry over the increasing
use of zero-hour contracts and the rising number of
self-employed people working for apps such Uber and food courier
Deliveroo.
Firms say the burgeoning "gig economy", in which people can work
simultaneously for different companies without fixed contracts,
gives greater flexibility to both them and their staff but such
practices have been criticized as exploitative by unions.
In Britain, the self-employed have no entitlement to employment
rights beyond basic health and safety and anti-discrimination
laws. Regular workers receive entitlements such as annual leave,
rest breaks and the minimum wage.
The review, due to be published on Tuesday, will recommend that
ministers create a new type of worker called a "dependent
contractor", the BBC said, granting greater entitlements.
The review will also call for firms to be obliged to show that a
person working for them is able to earn at least 1.2 times the
national living wage, which stands at 7.50 pounds ($9.65) an
hour for the over-25s, by calculating the average number of
tasks worked.
Britain's business ministry declined to comment on the report's
findings when contacted by Reuters on Monday.
May is due to speak at the launch event on Tuesday where she
will outline plans to pursue domestic reform despite her
diminished authority. She is relaunching her leadership after a
botched snap election which saw her lose her parliamentary
majority.
Since taking office last year, May has tried to attract support
from working class voters, who tend to back the opposition
Labour Party, but she failed to win over enough support in
June's national vote.
(Reporting by Costas Pitas Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
