Government response to the Taylor review – consult, consult, consult and consult again.

The Government has announced plans to increase the rights of workers in the so-called gig economy. These plans – if approved and implemented – would include:

• naming and shaming employers who fail to pay Employment Tribunal awards;
• quadrupling fines for employers who lose Employment Tribunal claims and who have shown malice, spite or gross oversight towards their workers, to £20,000;
• consideration of higher minimum wage rates for workers on zero hours contracts;
• defining working time when workers are provided work through apps or via online platforms;
• considering changes to the definitions of ‘worker’ and ‘employee’ so that employment status is easier to determine.

The Government is launching four new consultations to consider the plans and whether to implement them. Therefore businesses should watch this space to keep informed about any changes in due course.

If you are an employer and are concerned about whether you comply with the law in relation to your staff, or if you are a worker and do not feel your employer is complying with your employment rights, speak to Guy Hollebonwho is a specialist employment law solicitor based in our Wye Valley office at Ross-on-Wye – he can be contacted at [email protected] or on 01989 561 429