3. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:44 pm on 11 July 2017.

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Photo of Steffan Lewis Steffan Lewis Plaid Cymru 2:44, 11 July 2017

Today the Westminster Government published the Taylor review into workers in the gig economy and I think it's fair to say that the report has been seen as pretty much a damp squib. There's nothing concrete on the eradication of zero-hours contracts. There is a right to request guaranteed hours from an employer, but, of course, in an age where workers have to fork out £1,200 to get to a tribunal, it's very difficult to see how such so-called rights are going to be enforced. But a particular concern is the suggestion that a new category of worker should be introduced in UK employment law—a dependent contractor, which looks like it's the result of special pleading from those companies who don't like paying taxes, and also not that keen on paying the minimum wage either. I wonder whether the dependent contractor category might become something that increases over the years, especially as we leave the European Union and workers’ rights are replaced by UK frameworks. Could we have a statement from the Welsh Government as a matter of urgency, especially given that this country is now increasingly becoming the exploited workers capital of the UK?