Category: Employees Contracts

The recent spotlight on working conditions in businesses such as Sports Direct and Asos – where the employer relies heavily on a flexible workforce – and the subsequent criticism of their practices prompted the Government to call an official enquiry into what it calls ‘modern employment practices’. Former Labour Party adviser, Matthew Taylor, was asked to head the enquiry into the balance of the desired flexibility and workers’ basic employment needs. Government identifies need for review Last year, Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley was asked to attend a Government Select Committee to respond to reports about ‘Victorian workhouse’ conditions at his warehouse in Derbyshire. Amidst claims that the health and safety of his staff was sometimes compromised, his heavy reliance on zero hours contracts was a particular focus for criticism. Against the backdrop of other similar stories, the Government was moved to undertake an analysis of the current reality of modern flexible work practices and whether this undermines the application of employment...