Several retailers have come under scrutiny for their use of social media apps to hire temporary festive staff under gig contracts, lacking fundamental employment rights.
- Retail giants like Lush, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, and Gymshark are employing gig workers for holiday positions, raising concerns over their employment status.
- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) highlights issues with gig economy roles that do not ensure workers’ rights, such as holiday pay and minimum wage.
- Apps like Temper and YoungOnes, used for recruitment, are not covered by forthcoming employment rights legislation, leaving workers vulnerable.
- Incidents of violence against retail workers are on the rise, with 1,300 reported daily, coinciding with the staffing practices in question.
A group of prominent retailers, including Lush, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, and Gymshark, have been criticised for employing temporary Christmas staff through social media platforms like TikTok. These staff members are engaged under gig contracts, which do not provide basic employment rights such as holiday pay and the national minimum wage. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has raised significant concerns about the status of these roles, arguing that individuals who perform typical shop assistant duties should be entitled to standard legal protections.
The Observer newspaper highlighted that these gig workers are recruited through digital applications such as Temper and YoungOnes, which have thousands of users in the UK and are popularised by influencers on platforms like TikTok. Although some positions offer wages above the minimum, for example, Urban Outfitters’ advertised £12 an hour for freelance sales assistants, applicants need to reapply daily for shifts. Gymshark, in addition, sought to recruit 30 freelance shop assistants for its London store, reinforcing the reliance on gig economy workers for seasonal demands.
Tim Sharp, a senior policy officer at the TUC, expressed concern over this development, noting the absurdity of workers not being entitled to basic employment rights despite fulfilling regular shop duties. He questioned the employment classification of these freelance roles, emphasising the lack of legal protections for gig workers. Conventional seasonal hiring relied on temporary agency workers who were entitled to rights like holiday pay, contrasting sharply with the current practice of hiring gig workers who lack such protections.
Furthermore, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has called for public support to combat increasing violence and abuse against retail workers during the festive season. Reports have shown a surge to 1,300 incidents per day, including threats with weapons and verbal abuse, which may correlate with the stressful conditions exacerbated by inadequate staffing practices.
The reported hiring practices, paired with rising workplace violence, underline the challenges faced by retail workers during the festive season.
