Homeworkers must be protected

Unite, Britain’s leading union, has produced a blueprint to protect homeworkers from attacks on their pay and conditions from unscrupulous employers.

The union has vowed to support its members who face attacks on their pay and conditions because they work from home.

Unite has produced a framework homeworking agreement to assist Unite workplace representatives in their negotiations with employers.

An unnamed Tory Cabinet minister recently suggested that civil servants who won’t return to the office could have their pay cut. The suggestion threatens to open the floodgates for unscrupulous employers to attempt to cut workers’ pay despite evidence that homeworking can make workers happier and more productive if introduced fairly through negotiation not imposition.

Unite Executive Officer Sharon Graham said, “Covid 19 has changed the way we work but it is absolutely imperative that we stand up to bad bosses who try to attack workers’ pay and conditions.

“Unite has produced a framework homeworking agreement to assist Unite workplace representatives in their negotiations,” she added. “The protection of pay and conditions is a cornerstone of the agreement. Homeworking can be good for some, but agreements need to be in place to protect workers, for example the right to disconnect.

“It is important to remember that homeworking done badly can lead to more work for the same pay. It can also lead to stress and depression, as well as health and safety risks from working in an unsuitable environment. It is vital that employers now recognise that homeworking is an issue for negotiation not imposition and that we will be demanding adequate protection for our members.”

You can read Unite’s homeworking framework agreement here.

By Ciaran Naidoo