Retailers called on to protect retail workers' rights

Leading retail workers unions are challenging the retailers over the use of “freelance” staff stating that it undermines retail workers’ rights in the UK.

Retail trade union leader Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, and Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), have jointly written to the chief executives of retailers Urban Outfitters, Lush, Gymshark, Uniqlo and Emma Sleep, challenging the use of “freelance” retail staff.

The unions are raising concern over retail chains recruiting so-called "freelance" workers operating on a self-employed basis, asking the retailers to end this practice immediately and ensure that all the workers receive the rights and protections that they deserve as directly employed or agency workers.

Paddy Lillis and Kate bell wrote, “We are representatives of 5.5 million working people, including hundreds of thousands of workers in the retail sector, to urge you to end the use of so-called freelance staff in your stores.

“Retail is a vital part of the UK economy, providing 2.9m jobs in the UK. Especially at this time of year, retail workers work extremely hard to make your shoppers’ experience as enjoyable as possible. In return retail workers deserve decent pay, security and investment in their skills and training.

“It is therefore extremely worrying to discover that your retail chains are among those recruiting so-called ‘freelance’ workers operating on a self-employed basis as detailed by the Observer and Financial Times newspapers this week.

"Anyone looking at this arrangement from outside would consider it laughable that the person serving them was a self-employed worker akin to a visiting tradesperson, rather than the permanent or temporary worker for your business.

“Employment rights are not a ‘nice to have’ that employers can opt in and out of at will. They ensure that workers are paid properly, that they have sufficient rest breaks to safeguard their health and that they are not discriminated against. We urge you to end this practice immediately and ensure that all your workers receive the rights and protections that they deserve as directly employed or agency workers.

“Trade unions and the workers we represent will fight to ensure that this practice is driven out of the retail sector.

"Meanwhile we will press the Government to improve measures to crack down on bogus self-employment and modernise the legal test for ‘worker’ status to ensure that protections are extended to all workers to whom it was intended.”

Usdaw is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.