* Jonathan Bartley: 'The Uber ruling is an example of what can be achieved when people take control and stand up against exploitation.'
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, has written an open letter [1] to Theresa May asking her to finally release the findings of the Coalition’s shelved employment status law review.
Bartley made the call after the landmark employment tribunal ruling that two Uber drivers are not self-employed and should have the rights of workers [2]. This means tens of thousands of the company’s drivers are now entitled to rights such as holiday and sick pay.
Workers should not be forced to bring such cases and the UK’s employment law must be brought into the 21st Century, being made stronger and clearer, Bartley said in the open letter to the Prime Minister.
In the letter Bartley states:
"The Uber ruling is an example of what can be achieved when people take control and stand up against exploitation."
It continues:
"To undertake yet another review, as announced at the Conservative party conference, without addressing or even publishing the findings of a review already conducted at best prolongs the insecurity of workers, and at worst suggests the Government has something to hide.
"Basic security at work is at stake and the Government must not sit on the findings of this review any longer. It should come clean with working people now."
Green Party members passed an emergency motion put forward by Bartley at the Autumn Conference this year which instructs the party to push the government on issues of employment status [3].
Notes:
1.
Dear Theresa May,
The current law around employment status is clearly insufficient to deal with modern employment practices. The rise of the 'gig-economy' means workers face terrible insecurity and out-dated legislation is not providing protection from exploitation.
The Uber ruling is a victory for workers in the gig-economy, who in recent months have made their feelings about their working conditions abundantly clear. Deliveroo drivers also walked out on strike over changes to their pay and a group of foster carers formed the first ever union for the profession.
It seems that workers everywhere are being left to fend for themselves. They are being let down and do not have legislation which adequately safeguards their rights.
The Uber ruling is an example of what can be achieved when people take control and stand up against exploitation. Because these individuals were prepared to fight for basic worker’s rights, tens of thousands of Uber drivers now qualify for things like holiday and sick pay. But workers would not be forced to bring cases like this in the first place if the UK’s employment status law were brought up to date, made stronger and clearer.
The Government should now release the findings of the review into employment status law which was launched under the Coalition in 2014, but which has since been shelved.
To undertake yet another review, as announced at the Conservative party conference, without addressing or even publishing the findings of a review already conducted at best unnecessarily prolongs the insecurity of workers, and at worst suggests the Government has something to hide.
Basic security at work is at stake and the Government must not sit on the findings of this review any longer. It should come clean with working people now.
I look forward to receiving your response.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Bartley
Co-leader, the Green Party