British Gig Economy Workers Bash Online Freelance Platform

by Daniel Johnson

January 13, 2025

‘It is so immoral, it’s unreal.’

Retail assistants at a Manchester, England, area store are alleging that YoungOnes, a gig economy platform, changed its charging structure from not having a fee for getting paid in three days to charging those workers an increasing percentage based on how quickly they needed to receive payment if they couldn’t wait 30 days to get paid.

According to The Guardian, the allegations of the workers follow reporting in December 2024 that gig economy employment centers have not given gig workers basic employment rights. This prompted Justin Madders, the minister for employment rights, to request an investigation into the practices of YoungOnes.

Tom Gilliam, a worker at Emma Sleep’s store, told the outlet that it feels like the money they need is essentially being held ransom by the company.

“People do gig work for short-term cash…it feels like we’re being held to ransom,” Gilliam said. “It is so immoral, it’s unreal. They can’t really badger their managers because working as a freelancer, you have no voice; you might not get any more shifts if you are seen as outspoken.”

Another worker, who remained anonymous, said, “it is unfair for people working on a low wage with reduced rights to be charged to get their money quickly.”

Madders, for his part, told The Guardian that it is unacceptable for employers to claim that an employee is self-employed when, in fact, they are not.

“Action that reeks of this exploitation is intolerable, and we will not hesitate to ask all relevant authorities to scrutinize such employers,” Madders explained.

James Medd, YoungOnes‘ chief operating officer, told The Guardian that the organization’s new payment structure was designed to give freelancers more freedom in their options.

“We deeply value the freelancers on our platform and understand the challenges they face, particularly when it comes to payment timelines,” he said.

Previously, Margaret Beels, the government’s independent director of labor market enforcement, expressed her concern for the UK’s three-tier employment status system.

“Having three levels of status allows people to engage in sharp practice, shifting workers around between those [levels],” Beels asserted. “I really would like to see the government stepping up to doing more—you can probably consult till the cows come home on this issue, and it’s about time to do something about it.”

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