by rd95
The model we have observed in certain parts of the gig economy carries none of the hallmarks of what most of us would think of as genuine self-employment. As a self-employed courier working with DPD set out to us, “The simple fact is this: if you work at the same depot every day, wear a DPD uniform, drive a DPD van, get given a DPD scanner, are told by DPD management what parcels to deliver at what rate, don’t work for anyone else, you should be protected by the government as being employed.”At present, there is no such protection. Rather, we have noted how companies are able to use the guise of self-employment to dump a whole series of obligations and liabilities onto their workforce, while depriving them of protections enjoyed by the rest of working Britain.