Great Britain: the government publishes guidance to bring clarity on the status of workers

While legal proceedings related to the status of gig economy workers have multiplied over the last few years (c.f. article No.12369 and No.12605), on 26 July the UK government published fresh guidance on this topic. This information is geared to HR departments, employers, and workers who sometimes have no knowledge of the subject, even though British labour legislation is very specific. Indeed, several worker statuses can be specifically identified, the best known of which are ‘employee’ that enjoys greatest benefits, ‘worker’ that enjoys the right to paid holidays and the minimum age, and, ‘self-employed’ that does not provide for holidays or the minimum wage. The government said it published the guidance to echo the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision deeming Uber platform drivers to be ‘workers’ and not ‘self-employed’ (c.f. article No.12369). “Today we are tidying up the rules, helping workers understand their employment rights and find out if they are being treated fairly by their workplace. Importantly, this one-stop shop guidance is not just for workers – it will also give businesses the confidence and the tools to better support their staff,” said Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, Jane Hunt, HR experts have welcomed this initiative.