Health and safety breakthrough won by union

In a second major union victory this week the IWGB won a ruling from the High Court that precarious workers deserve the same health and safety protections as employees. The judgment came in a case brought by the union.

The court ruled that the UK government has failed to grant workers in the "gig economy" the rights they are entitled to under EU health and safety lay. This means that gig economy workers are entitled to the same EU-derived health and safety rights as employees.

Importantly, these include the right to be provided with PPE by the business they are working for, and the right to stop work in response to serious and imminent danger. The government must now urgently take steps to ensure that workers have the same protection as employees.

Henry Chango Lopez, IWGB general secretary commented: "We are delighted with this win for workers’ rights. In the midst of the pandemic, health and safety at work has never been more important.It is crucial that businesses know they must protect the health and safety of their workers and that the government brings the criminal prosecutions necessary to enforce this law.”

https://iwgb.org.uk/post/iwgb-wins-groundbreaking-health-and-safety-legal-challenge-against-the-government