Three major retailers have confirmed they will stop hiring freelance retail workers for their shops, after criticisms over employee rights including pay at the level of the legal minimum wage, rest breaks and more.
Gig economy apps offered staff for hire on a freelance basis which several retail outlets were utilising, but each of Uniqlo, Gymshark and Lush have now ceased employing individuals through these means.
The Observer reported recently that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) wrote to the trio to express concern over their use of companies which were being promoted on social media platforms by youth influencers.
Gig workers treated as self-employed individuals would not be entitled to the usual rights that agency workers would do, which is an unusual step in hiring retail staff.
A report in the Guardian said the letter, which they had seen, saw the TUC’s assistant general secretary Kate Bell tell the chief executives of the named firms that they should “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.”
Uniqlo said they had used the Temper app platform only briefly and had ended their use of it after a trial. “Uniqlo no longer sources freelance workers for temporary store-based roles. We instead recruit for our temporary and permanent positions directly or through other channels to ensure all our staff are eligible for applicable employment benefits,” read a statement.
Lush reportedly hired fewer than six people through the platforms and similarly added they had “no plans to use this method in the future,” with Gymshark similarly ending their use of the hiring apps.
Apps such as Temper and YoungOnes are understood to charge a fee per hour worked by any individuals hired through their platforms, with retailers able to advertise for open positions on a day-by-day basis if need be.
