Those who attended our spring seminar series on the gig economy will be conscious of the impending Taylor review. Even those who didn't will have been watching the headlines as gig economy businesses like Deliveroo and Uber attempt to navigate the uncertain world this new way of working has created.
We understand that Matthew Taylor will publish the findings from his review tomorrow. Initial reports suggest that there will be changes to the way in which employment law classifies those in the grey area between workers and the truly self-employed. Commentators have suggested the possible introduction of a 'dependent contractor' status which would attract some of the so-called 'battleground rights' such as holiday pay.
In addition to the question of what rights these individuals should have, it will be interesting to see whether suggestions are made to align the tests used by the tax authorities with those applied by employment lawyers. This will be particularly important if new categories are introduced to employment law while the tax system retains a binary distinction between the employed and the self-employed.
We will provide more detailed commentary once the report is published and, of course, Workbox users will be able to access our full range of know-how including the handy summaries of the different rights applicable to different forms of engagement.
All businesses will need to consider the risks and opportunities presented by these developments, particularly given the indications that the Conservative government will be aligning itself with the report's findings. To the extent that these improve the rights of those working in the so-called gig economy, perhaps any legislation proposed will be an immediate test of whether or not Westminster parties (and even, in some cases, MPs within the same party) can work together despite their stark differences on other issues...
Contributor
Head of Employment & Partner
