Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Auto-enrolmentGig economyLatest NewsFreelance workersPensions

Pensions Regulator: Gig firms should offer pensions

by Ashleigh Webber 18 May 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 18 May 2021 The Pensions Regulator is working with Uber to set up a workplace pension
MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski / Shutterstock.com
The Pensions Regulator is working with Uber to set up a workplace pension
MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski / Shutterstock.com

Workers in the gig economy should be offered a workplace pension, the UK’s pensions watchdog has said.

Following the Supreme Court’s judgment that Uber drivers are “workers” earlier this year, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has been working with the ride hailing app on setting up a pension scheme for drivers, the regulator’s chief executive Charles Counsell has revealed on its TPR Talks podcast.

Pensions

What you need to know about the Pension Schemes Act 2021

Pandemic forcing older workers to change retirement plans

Gig economy: Just Eat offers couriers better terms

After the ruling in February this year, Uber agreed that it would recognise its 70,000 UK drivers as workers, not self-employed as it had previously argued, and would begin offering them entitlements including a minimum hourly wage and a pension.

Counsell suggested that other firms in the gig economy should follow suit. “I am going to call on other organisations in the gig economy to start to recognise that the people who work for them are workers and should be eligible for a pension,” he said.

“It is all about helping people working in the economy to have a decent standard of living in retirement and I really encourage those in the gig economy to take a stance and start putting their workers into pensions. Let’s not deal with this on a case-by-case basis.”

Steven Timms, chair of the work and pensions select committee, said the committee would be launching an inquiry this autumn into how to help those in the gig economy save for retirement.

Responding to Counsell’s comments, Monica Ma, pensions and share schemes solicitor at Keystone Law, said gig economy firms needed to carry out a careful assessment of their workforce to ensure they comply with their auto-enrolment obligations.

“Under the relevant legislation, the term ‘worker’ is very widely defined and may well encompass many individuals who work for these companies. Depending on their ages and earnings, these workers are entitled to be provided with pension benefits by these companies,” she said.

“It will be shortsighted for a company to bury its head in the sand as this will just be storing up problems for the future. Apart from potential litigation from disgruntled workers, it may also find that future investors (be it during a funding round or an IPO) may look at this compliance issue carefully as, apart from reputational concerns, the potential costs to the company could be substantial.”

Uber has been contacted for further comment.

Compensation and benefits opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more compensation and benefits jobs

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor at OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
The role of screening and surveillance in occupational health
next post
Single parents need more support to access work, says charity

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Gender pensions gap: women’s retirement pot less than...

24 Jun 2022

BBC awards pay increase as pension scheme review...

12 May 2022

Gender pensions gap: half of women expect to...

9 May 2022

Union urges Uber to make pensions Sharia compliant

20 Apr 2022

Pensions: employers consider how to mitigate impact of...

25 Mar 2022

Cost of living crisis: what can businesses do...

7 Mar 2022

Commuters grapple with rail fare hike as Tube...

1 Mar 2022

Universities union votes for 10 days of strike...

28 Jan 2022

Report: Prioritise workers’ pensions, not shareholder returns

10 Jan 2022

Employee Benefits Awards 2022 deadline fast approaching

6 Jan 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+