Supporting London's gig economy workers

The London Assembly Economy Committee launched an investigation into economic insecurity in London, including financial exclusion and the gig economy.

The aim of the investigation was to understand the benefits of and problems with London’s gig economy and the implications of the employment status, pay, and conditions of gig economy workers.

The Committee has written to both the Mayor and the Business Secretary with a series of recommendations on the gig economy. These include:

• The Mayor should lobby the Government to set out a clear timetable to introduce an employment bill. The bill should enshrine the recommendations of the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and clarify the employment status of workers in the gig economy.
• The Mayor should set out how his charter for the gig economy will build on and learn from his Good Work Standard, and how the two will be integrated.
• The Mayor should produce an action plan to encourage more businesses to sign up to his Good Work Standard, as well as demonstrating how its effectiveness is being measured.
• In designing the Good Work Charter, the Mayor must consult with Londoners and ensure that its provisions reflect the experience of gig economy workers.
• The Mayor should set a target for how many businesses he expects to sign up to the charter and a clear timeline for delivery.
• There is no single, agreed definition of the gig economy. It is important that the Mayor’s Good Work Charter sets out a clear definition of the gig economy to ensure clarity about which workers and businesses fall under the scope of the charter.
• The Good Work Charter should include advice for gig economy workers on their rights. This should be accompanied by a communications campaign.
• The Good Work Charter should encourage businesses to only use the self-employment model where workers are genuinely self-employed.
• The Good Work Charter should encourage businesses to ensure that workers are paid the London Living Wage plus costs of equipment and running costs that are essential for the role.
• Under the Good Work Charter, companies should abide by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) code to ensure that HR processes are fair for workers in the gig economy.
• The Good Work Charter should include provisions for safe working practices that reflect the specific nature of the gig economy, such as emergency phone lines for workers and ways to report unsafe working practices.