Catherwood LibraryILR School

Although Theresa May has expressed a commitment to improving rights for gig economy workers in a recent speech, she failed to offer viable policy solutions for the UK. Workers in the gig economy refers to those who are employed by companies like Uber, and can legally earn less than the minimum wage since they are counted as self-employed. She stated that the government would study recommendations to improve conditions for workers in the gig economy, including sick and holiday pay, higher minimum wage, and new protections so companies cannot claim workers are self-employed. The speech was intended to show that May is serious about domestic policy reform and working on a cross-party basis, but was criticized by Labour and trade unions for not doing enough to protect workers. In a statement, Uber countered by saying most drivers made well over the national living wage, even after accounting for costs. May is looking into getting companies to voluntarily change labor practices rather than enforce binding legislation.