‘So immoral’: gig economy workers forced to pay fee to receive their wages

Manchester: So, there’s this big fuss going on with gig economy workers. They’re saying they have to cough up fees just to get their wages faster. Can you believe that?

A company called YoungOnes, which hooks up freelance retail workers with stores, has introduced this new payment system. If workers want their cash in a minute, they get hit with a 4.8% fee. If they can wait three days, it’s a 2.9% fee. But if they don’t want to pay anything, they’re stuck waiting a whole month. It used to be that they got paid in three days without any extra charges.

One worker, Tom Gillam, who’s been at Emma Sleep in Manchester, said it feels like they’re being held hostage. He mentioned that many gig workers are living paycheck to paycheck and need their money fast for essentials. It’s just plain wrong.

Tom also pointed out that some of his coworkers are still waiting for pay from shifts they did back in November. And since they’re freelancers, they can’t really complain too much without risking their future shifts.

Another worker shared that he had to borrow money from family just to get home for Christmas. It’s tough when you’re already on a low wage and then have to pay to access your own money.

The situation has caught the attention of the government, with the employment rights minister saying he’ll look into it. He’s not happy about companies dodging their responsibilities by labeling workers as self-employed when they really aren’t.

There’s a lot of concern that companies might try to skirt around new employment laws by hiring gig workers. The government is working on a new bill that aims to give more rights to workers, but it won’t cover those in the gig economy.

YoungOnes’ COO defended the new payment system, saying it gives freelancers options. But many are left feeling exploited. Emma Sleep has said they take these claims seriously and are committed to improving the situation for their freelance workers. It’s a complicated mess, and it seems like there’s still a long way to go for fair treatment in the gig economy.