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Your employment status doesn’t mean there are fewer bills to pay or that food costs less says GMB Union
GMB has urged the Government to extend wage protections to UK’s five million self-employed workers.
In a submission to the Treasury Select Committee today, the union outlined a series of steps Ministers must take to “ensure self-employed workers are not forced into poverty, or in trying to avoid financial hardship continue to work through symptoms”.
There are now more than 5 million self-employed workers in the UK, a figure that has risen by 4 per cent in the last year alone.
The steps are as follows:
The submission comes as part of the Treasury Committee issues call for evidence on Government's coronavirus financial package.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said:
“There is no real safety net for self-employed workers, millions of whom are already struggling as the economy slows down.
“If we want our couriers, gig economy workers, private hire drivers and construction workers to survive this crisis they need the same protection as other workers - their employment status doesn’t mean there are fewer bills to pay or that food costs less.
“This is a time for everyone to pull together - the Chancellor’s announcement gave hope to millions of workers, but we can’t leave those who are self-employed behind.”