The UK government has set out a labor market reform package it bills as a major upgrade to workplace rights in the era of disruptive gig economy platforms. The reforms, which include new legislation, are intended to take account of changes in working practices including those flowing from tech platforms. But despite some gig economy platforms standing accused of exploiting workers, the government’s package does not look set to require a radical reworking of existing business models — and unions have attacked the reforms as weak and lacking substance, pointing out that, for example, a right to request a more stable contract doesn’t add up to much of a rights advance. Among the measures being announced today (some of which have been trailed before) are: a day one statement of rights for all workers setting out leave entitlements and pay, and also including detail on rights such as eligibility for sick leave and pay; and details of other types of paid leave, such as maternity and paternity leave introducing a right for all workers, not just zero-hour and agency, to request a more predictable and stable contract, providing more financial security for those on flexible contracts plans to bring forward proposals for a new single labour market enforcement body to ensure workers rights are properly enforced; and more resource for the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate an end to the legal loophole which enables some firms to pay agency workers less than permanent staff (aka the ‘Swedish derogation’)  an extension to the the holiday pay reference period from 12 to 52 weeks, to “ensure workers in seasonal or atypical roles get the paid time off they are entitled to” enforcing vulnerable workers’ holiday pay for the first time ensuring tips left for workers go to them in full The government also says it is committed to legislate to improve the clarity of the employment status tests to “reflect the reality of the modern working relationships” — though it does not provide any detail on how exactly it intends to reform such tests. The labor market package comes ten months after it unveiled a plan slated to expand workers rights.

NEXT
Topics:  employment agency standards eas inspectorate    swedish   taylor s   that s   greg clark   energy    the uk    with   today s   rachel   employment   pensions    mobility   taylorwessing    simply   u.k    uber s   nesbitt   government   oxford university   reuters   unite union   len mccluskey   independent workers union   great britain   the iwgb   the govn't   #gigeconomy   exploited   jason moyer-lee moyerlee december   uk mp frank field   british   field s    independent   uk   employment     a    in   taylor   matthew taylor   business   clark   industrial strategy    the    the    this    today s   farr   uber   responding    the   jason moyer-lee   deliveroo   reform   doesn   disruptive   workplace rights   gig economy giants   package   flexibility   working   law   time   riders   tests   platforms   market   pay   self-employed   offer   status   ensure   clarity   drivers   people   opportunities   quality   secretary   protections   labour   added   practices   security   leave   existing   request   contract   spokesperson   legal   jobs   benefits   platform   models   including   service   detail   choose   ensuring   paid   set   modern   providing   tribunal   labor   provide   individuals   upgrade   review   contracts   sick   enforcement   balance   committed   weak   trade-off   rules   issue   entitlements   statement   committees   atypical   stable   hours   predictable   consistently   companies   case   flexible   change   self-congratulatory   rhetoric   press   announcements   holiday   ways   innovative   releases   real   regime   continues   boosting   group   world   update   told   determine   unions   risk   improve   line   plan   months   general   workforce   carried   good   number   drawing   latest   record   vice   versa   summer   year   appeal   effective   hot   works   claiming   dubbed   court   hard   distribute   highest   view   digital   air   tens   company   
BING NEWS:
  • UK economy: Shoppers splashing out boosts economy in January
    The economy grew by 0.2%, official figures show, boosted by sales in shops and online and more construction activity. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the services sector led the ...
    03/12/2024 - 1:00 pm | View Link
  • Lee Anderson: Ex-Tory MP defects to Reform UK
    Mr Anderson said he had been given the chance to "speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country" who support Reform. He becomes Reform UK's first ever MP ...
    03/10/2024 - 1:01 pm | View Link
  • More

 

NEXT
Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

Movies With Butter More Movie News

More Business News

  • Movie theaters hope a TikTok-ready ‘Twisters’ booth will be this summer’s ‘Barbie’ box
    Fast Company, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 11:00 AM

    With summer movie season upon us, theaters are looking to draw crowds with a new interactive lobby attraction. A long line to get into the theater is fairly standard for a hot movie in its opening weekend. A long line just to engage with a film’s lobby display, however, is not standard at all.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • Housing market inventory is shifting. Here’s what the data shows
    Fast Company, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 10:30 AM

    The housing market saw a 30% increase in active inventory in April, but that’s still 35% below pre-pandemic levels. Want more stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the free, daily ResiClub newsletter.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • Meta’s AI assistant is fun to use, but it can’t be trusted
    Denver Post, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 08:00 AM

    In the past few days, you may have noticed something new inside Meta’s apps, including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp: an artificially intelligent chatbot. Within those apps, you can chat with Meta AI and type in questions and requests like “What’s the weather this week in New York?” or “Write a poem about two dogs living in San Francisco.” The assistant will come up with responses immediately, such as “The corgi was short, with a butt so wide, the lab was tall, with a tongue that would glide.” You can also instruct Meta AI to produce pictures — like an illustration of a family watching fireworks. This is Meta’s response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the chatbot that upended the tech industry in 2022, and similar bots including Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Bing AI.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • Builders finally making a dent in Colorado’s housing shortfall. It’s not helping buyers or renters.
    Denver Post, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 08:00 AM

    Builders are finally making a dent in the state’s housing shortfall, especially for apartments. But home prices and mortgage rates continue to outpace income gains, and affordability is worsening rather than improving. “The story with interest rates is that they are only exacerbating the problem,” said Steven Byers, chief economist with the Common Sense Institute in Denver.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • “To the Future”: Saudi Arabia spends big to become an AI superpower
    Denver Post, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 08:00 AM

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — On a Monday morning last month, tech executives, engineers and sales representatives from Amazon, Google, TikTok and other companies endured a three-hour traffic jam as their cars crawled toward a mammoth conference at an event space in the desert, 50 miles outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The lure: billions of dollars in Saudi money as the kingdom seeks to build a tech industry to complement its oil dominance. To bypass the congestion, frustrated eventgoers drove onto the highway shoulder, kicking up plumes of desert sand as they sped past those following traffic rules.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • Athletic director used AI to frame principal with racist remarks in fake audio clip, police say
    Denver Post, Saturday - 05/04/2024 - 08:00 AM

    A high school athletic director in Maryland has been accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate a principal on an audio recording that included racist and antisemitic comments, authorities said last month. Authorities said the case appears to be among the first of its kind in the country and called for new laws to guard against the technology.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share