Extracts from second reading debate (Lords) of the Status of Workers Bill (private bill) - Sep 10
Saturday, 11 September 2021 10:03
Lord Blencathra (Con):...Way back in 2017, the review wondered why,
with employment at record levels, so many people in work were in
poverty. I think that we now have the answer, which has revealed
itself over the last few months. While we had 2 million to 3
million cheap EU workers, companies could get away with zero-hours
contracts, minimum wage and sometimes not even minimum wage, as we
have seen in Amazon warehouses, Deliveroo Uber and others, which
have been committing flagrant abuses of...Request free trial
(Con):...Way back in 2017, the review
wondered why, with employment at record levels, so many people in
work were in poverty. I think that we now have the answer, which
has revealed itself over the last few months. While we had 2
million to 3 million cheap EU workers, companies could get away
with zero-hours contracts, minimum wage and sometimes not even
minimum wage, as we have seen in Amazon warehouses, Deliveroo Uber and others, which have
been committing flagrant abuses of workers’ rights by calling them
self-employed. I am completely in favour of flexible working
hours—after all, we have it here on a daily basis—but people on
flexible hours must have proper legal contracts setting out those
hours and their terms and conditions of employment...
(Lab):...As for fundamental protections, I regard
one of the protections of workers to be a right to complain if they
are, or believe themselves to be, unfairly dismissed. I have not
heard a justification for delivery riders such as those employed
by Deliveroo or the Uber drivers the
noble and learned Lord, , spoke about, being denied the right to make a
complaint to a judicial authority that their engagement was
unfairly terminated...
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