[IER] DPD offers workers' rights but lower pay

Thu Mar 29 18:12:53 BST 2018

IER News Brief 29/03/18Follow us on Twitter 
news brief
Thursday 29th March 2018
Courier firm DPD has announced it will offer its drivers the option to be treated as an 'employee' or 'worker' rather than 'self employed' this July.

Sadly, the move did not come until after the death of a driver for the firm, who missed hospital appointments for his diabetes because he was too afraid to take a day off.

Currently, DPD charge drivers £150 for time off, but the company has now promised to abolish this practice.

The pressure on so-called 'gig' employers to provide workers' rights to those who work for them has so far come almost entirely from the labour movement, with GMB winning a landmark case against Uber - in which drivers were found to be 'workers' and not independent contractors as the firm had claimed - after which a whole slew of cases against similar companies have also found in favour of the worker.

Despite this, the government's Good Work Plan has offered only to consult on employment status and has not provided any clear policy direction to ensure the half a million people estimated to be in 'bogus' self employment are protected from exploitation.

One of the key proposals of the IER's Manifesto for Labour Law is to abandon the three-tier employment status system that currently distinguishes between 'workers' (who have access only to fundamental rights such as the minimum wage and holiday pay) and 'employees' (who have access to the full suite of rights). Instead, we recommend the application of a universal status of 'worker', which provides the full suite of rights from day one to everyone in employment.

Further, the onus should not be on workers to prove that they are not self employed - as the situation stands now - but for employers to prove that they are.

This change in the framework of the law would not only protect those in bogus self employment, but also those on zero hour contracts and in agency work. At the moment, these individuals are classified as 'workers' and miss out on the same rights as colleagues on permanent contracts. This leaves them open to exploitation from employers, who opt for 'workers' over 'employees' in a race to the bottom on employment rights, and drive an increasing number of people into precarious employment, in which they cannot depend on a guaranteed salary.

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> click here to read full storyDPD offers workers' rights, but lower pay 
'Gig' employer DPD has offered its couriers - until now ostensibly employed as independent contractors - workers' rights, but those who accept the deal will receive a lower rate of pay. 
> click here to read full storyCOMMENT: Blacklisted workers need more than a public inquiry - they need a change in the law
Responding to the admission of the Metropolitan Police that Special Branch officers colluded in the blacklisting of construction workers, employment law specialist Alex Just details the recommendations he made as part of the Manifesto Against Blacklisting he drafted for the IER. 
> click here to read full story
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Click here to read more and purchase your copy, or access your free download if you subscribe  Events Liverpool: The Future of Labour Law: Progressive rights under a progressive government
10 May 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, Liverpool
At this conference, key authors from our Manifesto for Labour Law team will guide delegates through our proposed reforms, the evidence behind them, and the benefits for workers, employers and the economy of reform.
Speakers include Prof Nicola Countouris, Prof David Whyte, Dr Aristea Koukiadaki, Prof Sonia McKay & John Hendy QC.
> click here to read more and book your placeLondon: The Future of Labour Law: Progressive rights under a progressive government
10 May 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, London
At this conference, key authors from our Manifesto for Labour Law team will guide delegates through our proposed reforms, the evidence behind them, and the benefits for workers, employers and the economy of reform.
Speakers include Prof Nicola Countouris, Prof David Whyte, Dr Aristea Koukiadaki & John Hendy QC.
> click here to read more and book your place
  PublicationsLabour Law Highlights 2017: £8
Edited by Rebecca Tuck
Catch up with the most important case law developments in 2017 in the latest of our popular Labour Law Highlights series.

In this year’s Labour Law Highlights, a team of barristers from Old Square Chambers returns to assess how each of these events has impacted upon case law in the last 12 months, including clarification from the courts on the requirements of the Trade Union Act in practice, the flurry of tribunal hearings regarding ‘gig’ workers, and further decisions on the rights of workers required to take "sleep-in" shifts. In each case, they provide commentary on the potential wider implications of tribunal decisions.
> click here to read more and purchaseEurope, the EU and Britain: Workers' Rights and Economic Democracy: £8
Notes from a seminar by the Institute of Employment Rights and the Marx Memorial Library
On 01 July 2017, labour movement leaders from across Europe met at the Marx Memorial Library, London, to discuss how a progressive future for workers’ rights can be sought following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. This report documents the meeting, including the transcripts of each presentation, as well as notes on the discussion between panel and delegates on the day.
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By Dr Lydia Hayes
In this booklet, Dr Lydia Hayes sets out the lessons learned from her interdisciplinary research into the social care sector, and builds upon the recommendations made in the Institute of Employment Rights' Manifesto for Labour Law: a comprehensive revision of worker’s rights to propose a sectoral collective bargaining structure for the negotiation of wages and conditions.
> Click here to read more and buy your copyTo unsubscribe, please contact sarah at ier.org.uk. 
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