Yahoo Finance Gig economy workers receive new rights across European Union
Workers in the so-called "gig economy" including Uber drivers and Deliveroo couriers will be given new employment rights across the European Union, after lawmakers approved the new rules on Tuesday.
The new laws, which EU member states will have three years to implement, put in place minimum rights for freelancer workers, such as compensation for cancelled work and more regular hours.
Gig economy workers have previously been treated as independent contractors instead of employees in some countries and so have not been granted the same employment rights.
Under the new laws, approved by the European Parliament, they will now have to be told about their pay on their first day, and will also be able to work for other companies and refuse assignments outside of normal working hours.
The European Parliament said the protections will apply to “the most vulnerable employees on atypical contracts and in non-standard jobs”, and will not cover “genuinely self-employed” workers. It is thought they will apply to around three million people.
Spanish MEP Enrique Calvet Chambon, from the ALDE liberal group that has pushed through the new rules, said: “From now on no employer will be able to abuse the flexibility in the labour market.
“All workers who have been in limbo will now be granted minimum rights thanks to this directive.”
Similar rules are planned for the UK, following a review into modern workplace practices by Matthew Taylor, a former advisor to Tony Blair.
Those laws, which were announced late last year and were described as the biggest package of workplace reforms for more than 20 years, saw the maximum fine for employers mistreating their workers quadrupled, to £20,000. The rules will come into force in April 2020
At the time, Business Secretary Greg Clark had said the push came as the “world of work is changing, bringing new opportunities for innovative businesses and new business models to flourish, creating jobs across the country and boosting our economy”.
