Retailers are recruiting young ‘gig workers’ without basic employment rights for seasonal work, an investigation by the Observer has alleged.
A number of high-street brands including Urban Outfitters, Lush, Gymshark and Uniqlo are accused of recruiting “freelance” workers through gig work apps such as YoungOnes and Temper.
These apps are then promoted to young people via social media platforms such as TikTok.
As gig economy workers, they are technically self-employed, so do not have the same employment rights as other salaried workers or agency temps, such as holiday pay, the national minimum wage and rest breaks.
Urban Outfitters, for example, posted an advert on YoungOnes for “friendly young people” to work across a number of stores in Stratford, Marble Arch, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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Lush advertised for five freelance checkout staff during busy periods in Liverpool, and Gymshark sought 30 assistants for its main London store.
Tim Sharp, senior policy officer for employment rights at the TUC, told the newspaper that this was a “worrying” new development.
“It would seem absurd to most people that someone can do a job like working in a shop and not be entitled to basic legal protections. There is a big question mark over the employment status of these supposed freelancers.
“It’s about firms being able to flex staff up and down – this is clearly passing on risk from the business owner to the individual staff member and we think that’s unacceptable.”
The government has pledged to crack down on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts, but apps such as those used by the retailers could potentially get around any forthcoming legislation.
Under the bill as it stands, employers must offer zero-hours workers a guaranteed hours contract at the end of every “reference period”.
However, trade body APSCo has recommended that agency workers are not covered by the ban, claiming that guaranteed hours for agency workers could be impractical for employers.
In response to the claims, Uniqlo told the Observer that it sometimes used “independent professionals” to supplement its team, while Urban Outfitters, Lush and Gymshark did not respond to an approach for comment.
YoungOnes told the paper it operated in accordance with UK law, connecting businesses with self-employed professionals.
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