THE Court of Appeal decided that a plumber, Gary Smith (pictured) who worked for Pimlico Plumbers for six years until 2011, is entitled to basic rights such as sick pay even though he was technically self-employed.
Gary Smith had claimed that he was dismissed following a heart attack and sued Pimlico Plumbers for sick pay.
The case is one of several that have considered the relationship between independent contractors and companies such as Uber, Deliveroo and parcel delivery firm Hermes and City Sprint UK Ltd.
This decision in the Appeal Court could mean more protections for thousands of independent contractors working job-to-job with little security and limited employment rights.
With the number of workers in the gig economy jobs surging in recent times, campaigners have claimed that it leaves many with no guarantee of earnings and no protection if they can't work. In some cases workers have claimed they are being paid less than minimum wage.
However yesterday, a Judge warned that the ruling would not necessarily be applicable to all workers in similar positions.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment