Green pressure sees Government finally publish shelved employment status law review

10 February 2017

* Greens condemn Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for not publishing employment status law review for more than a year

* Jonathan Bartley, Green co-leader: “As Tory ministers sat on the review’s findings workers everywhere have been left to fend for themselves”

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has finally published a review into employment status law [1] which was launched and then shelved under the Coalition Government.

The publication, more than two years after the review’s launch in October 2014, and more than 13 months after the report was seemingly ready for publication in December 2015, came after repeated calls from Green co-leader Jonathan Bartley for the Government to stop “sitting on the findings” [2].

The report’s belated publication coincides with a court ruling today (February 10) which found a plumber working on a self-employed contract is in fact entitled to the rights of a worker [3].

Bartley wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister in October last year [2] calling for the review to be published after a similar ruling found two Uber drivers were not self-employed but entitled to workers’ rights.

Bartley said:

“It is shameful that Tory ministers have sat on the findings of the Coalition’s review into employment status. As they did so workers everywhere have been living in increasing insecurity and left to fend for themselves.

“Without legislation which adequately safeguards their rights these workers have been badly let down and it is clear this review should have been published at the earliest opportunity – in 2015.

“More and more court rulings are showing what can be achieved when people take control and stand up against exploitation and demonstrating how woefully insufficient our employment status law it is for dealing with modern employment practices.

“It is welcome that these issues are now being addressed by the ongoing review led by Matthew Taylor of the RSA, but the substantial and important findings of the report just published should have been put in the public domain long before now, so as to inform debate and help formulate ideas for law reform.”

Notes:

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Shadow Cabinet appointments

Ian Lavery and Andrew Gwynne are
appointed joint National Elections and Campaign Coordinators for the Labour
Party.

Jon Trickett is appointed Shadow
Minister for the Cabinet Office and will remain Shadow Lord President of the
Council.

Ends

News story: Work underway at Kilbowie Road, Clydebank

Extensive works to fill a 62 metre deep unrecorded mine shaft that caused a collapse under Kilbowie Road in Clydebank are underway.

The Coal Authority has taken responsibility for the site and the repair works will take between 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

Only a 6 metre deep hole is visible at the road surface, but this leads to the shaft which goes down a further 56 metres to a total depth of 62 metres.

Work began last week with stone, pressurised grouting and a concrete plug being needed to stabilise the ground. Once the shaft is filled, work will begin on reconstructing the road.

Tim Marples, Head of Public Safety and Subsidence for the Coal Authority, said that work to repair the collapse in Kilbowie Road has already begun.

He added: “The unrecorded shaft at Kilbowie Road is one of our top operational priorities and our prime concern is the safety of the public.

“Our engineers have designed a solution to safely fill the shaft and repair the road and we’re working with West Dunbartonshire Council and the utility companies on our proposals.

“This particular repair is complicated by the exposed utility services within the 62 metre deep void, which we’re working to protect.

“From our experience, the work will take between 6 to 8 weeks to complete and cost in the region of £250,000.

“Our aim is get the road re-opened as soon as possible to minimise the impact on local residents and traffic. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused presently and during the forthcoming works.”

For more details please read the full press release

For further updates please visit West Dunbartonshire Council’s website