Gig economy workers on what it could mean for them

By Kirsty Grant and Manish PandeyNewsbeat reporters

Eyes are on companies that employ gig economy workers, after Uber announced it will pay all UK workers minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions.

It comes a month after it lost a legal battle in the UK over drivers' status.

Some workers in the gig economy have told Radio 1 Newsbeat they want their companies to follow in Uber's footsteps.

Gig economy workers are usually on short-term contracts or freelancers, and often don't get things like holiday pay or pensions.

Depending on how you look at it, the gig economy offers lots of flexibility for its workers - or it's exploitative and offers little job security.

'A very anxious existence'

Ethan Bradley is a 27-year-old bicycle courier for food delivery companies.

He says Uber's new promise is a step in the "right direction," and hopes his employer will follow suit.

"Having a guaranteed minimum wage would mean that I'm able to plan a budget for my bills and my expenses", he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"I wouldn't have to worry on a day to day basis if I'm going to be able to make the rent this month."

Being a food courier is Ethan's full time job. He is paid per delivery, rather than per hour.

He says he often makes less than minimum wage and waits "hours at a time without a single order".

Ethan can sympathise with Uber drivers who have been calling for better workers' rights for years.

Being a gig worker is a "very anxious existence," he says.

"When it is quiet, and you're stood around on street corners all day, waiting for your phone to ping off for a job to come up.

"You don't know if those jobs are ever going to come and then you start panicking."

The unpredictable nature of the pay has made budgeting difficult for Ethan.

"I have struggled to pay the rent and my bills a number of times, especially over the last year since the pandemic started. We don't have a safety net."

Ethan says there's "no reason" to "deny rights to the workers that have built these enterprises".

"These companies are part of a multinational, multibillion pound industry and they can afford it at the end of the day."

'I spiralled into debt'

Fran works in a similar role, for a company which delivers things like takeaways and groceries.

They have chronic health conditions, and were attracted to the job on the basis of "flexible" working.

Although things started off well when Fran started their job, they said "things have definitely declined".

Fran says the company "changed the rules about zones and bonus payments that we got.

"Over time, things changed to a point where I really wasn't earning enough to sustain myself.

"It spiralled to the point now where I've amassed quite a bit of debt."

On a typical shift Fran gets £4.50 per job, though they can sometimes opt in for a shift where there's a guaranteed rate of £8 an hour regardless of the number of deliveries.

But they say that's not enough, "considering the expenses that I have to pay.

"My insurance, for example, is around £2 an hour. So I'm going to knock that off whatever I earn.

"I'm definitely earning less than minimum wage - far less."

'Domino effect'

Fran hopes they will see more gig workers getting better rights.

"Uber is one of the big ones, I think it this does set a precedent for the whole gig economy.

"I'm hoping that it's going to maybe cause a little bit of a domino effect upon these companies."

Because of their chronic illness, Fran says sick pay would be particularly important to them.

"Right now, I've just been signed off sick from work. So my income... is literally zero.

"If I'm off sick for a week, with a flare up with my health, I don't get paid for that week. And when you're chronically ill, you tend to have a lot of sick days."

They said it would "mean a lot" to them to have more support on sick days.

"I think there is so many people out there who are just drowning, and not many people are prepared to say, yeah, this company has basically caused me to go in to debt because I can't have paid sick days."

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