Jon Trickett MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, commenting on reports that food delivery service, Deliveroo, will not impose a new payment scheme on its employees, said:

“I welcome the apparent change of heart by Deliveroo to not force their workers on to new contracts.

“Coming with the news that Sports Direct will be backdating pay to bring it in line with the National Minimum Wage, both developments confirm that employers can be made to treat their workers better.

“But employees are still in need of protection. Sports Direct got away with paying below the minimum wage for far too long. And the victory at Deliveroo will be short-lived if new employees are denied guaranteed hourly pay or forced into bogus self-employment.

“We need to ensure that those responsible for protecting vulnerable workers from unscrupulous employers have the power and resources to do so – not to cut their funding, as has happened with the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.

“Today the Labour Party opened its Workplace 2020 consultation, which aims to make the workplace a better, fairer and more productive environment for staff and employers.”