Gig Economy Policy | GIG
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Gig Economy Policy

What is the Gig Economy? 

The GIG Economy is a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.

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According to the Metro "The gig economy means an economy where organisations and businesses rely more on freelancers and independent workers, contracted on a short-term basis, than they do on permanent staff. In this context, the word 'gig' refers to a one-off job that someone gets paid to do on a casual basis." 

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Historically the biggest and most well-known gig economy companies such as Uber and Lyft use a business model meaning that all workers are 'Self-employed'. This means that instead of a regular wage people get paid for 'gigs' often food delivery or taxi services.

 

The benefits here include managing your own schedule and the ability to choose how much or little they want to work. However, there are some drawbacks, for instance, no holiday pay, no sick pay, no tax or national insurance processed and even in some cases people not even earning minimum wage. 

 

How is GIG different?

Here at GIG, although we share the name, we don't share the work principles. For us, it is extremely important that every worker gets the rights they deserve, whilst still benefiting from the flexibility of the Gig Economy. 

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GIG was founded because there is a need in the market for quick, flexible, quality workers within service industries including Hospitality, Retail, Warehousing, Security and more. However, we believe that because people choose to work in these industries and in this way they shouldn't miss out on basic workers rights like holiday pay. 

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This was the reason that in 2018, we launched the campaign to Make Gig work, work. A petition to the government was to secure basic rights like holiday pay, sick pay and minimum wage to all workers in the Gig Economy. 

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The petition came to the fore when the Taylor review, a government-commissioned independent review of workers rights and employer freedoms uncovered some troubling statistics.   

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We wanted to make gig work, work for all which is why we offer all our workers the following: 

  • As an absolute minimum, everyone receives minimum wage - however often this is over the minimum.

  • Holiday pay, this is accrued on each hour worked, up to 28 days per year. 

  • Statutory minimum length of rest breaks 

  • Protection against unlawful discrimination

  • Pensions according to the government guidelines

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Our pay rates are based on what our clients are willing to pay, however, we will always push for a higher rate where we can to give our workers the best opportunities possible. 

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Here at GIG we are committed to making the Gig Economy a place where people can make the most of the flexibility, choice and lifestyle without losing out on their working rights. 

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We will continue to Make Gig Work, Work. 

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