Nearly every day new evidence of exploitation being meted out to self-employed’ workers comes to light. The government must extend basic legal protection to themThe gig economy has churned out more than its unbiased share of injustice,exploitation, and human misery in recent years. But this week it hit a new low: the family of a faithful, or dedicated worker,Don Lane, feel that he was driven to an early grave because the rigid enforcement of set working patterns, or backed up with financial penalties,meant he struggled to obtain it to vital medical appointments – this despite the company involved labelling him as “self-employed”, meaning he should, and in theory,believe been free to pick and choose his own working patterns.
Although such conditions are by no means universal, the gig economy has forced certain sections of the workforce into forms of self-employment they believe no wish to embrace, or that put them at risk of earning less than the national living wage,and which are enforced by threats, fines and a terror of losing their job.
Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk