Urban Outfitters and Gymshark among retailers accused of hiring festive workers without basic rights

A new report has accused a number of UK retailers of hiring young “freelance” employees via hiring apps that leave them without basic employment rights. According to The Observer, Urban Outfitters, Gymshark and Uniqlo are understood to be among those carrying out such practices as they fill out staff in preparation for the festive season.

Such processes have been observed by Tim Sharp, senior policy for employment rights at Trades Union Congress (TUC), who called the new development “worrying”. In a statement to The Observer, Sharp said: “It would seem absurd to most people that someone can do a job like working in a shop and not be entitled to basic legal protections. There is a big question mark over the employment status of these supposed freelancers.”

While in the past, agency workers had typically been brought in to cater to increased footfall ahead of Christmas, more and more retailers are turning to apps like YoungOnes and Temper to hire festive staff, many of whom are thus not covered by most employment protections. The apps, which are also being promoted by TikTok influencers, the media outlet noted, charge stores a flat fee for every hour worked by those in their network.

Fashion retailer Urban Outfitters has been discovered to be among those utilising YoungOnes, for example, the company having recently posted an advert on the app looking for freelance sales assistants. In the ad, workers were offered 12 pounds an hour, but needed to apply for new shifts each day, The Observer said. Similar practices were seen at Gymshark, Lush and Uniqlo.

TUC criticised those using such apps for “passing on risk from the business owner to the individual staff member”, a practice Sharp said was “unacceptable”. Furthermore, the organisation noted that these freelancers would not be covered under the Labour government’s incoming employment rights legislation, potentially leaving space for more exploitation in the future.

Sharp added: “It is worrying that at the very moment we’re going to see far stronger employment rights, some operators are coming in and seemingly offering employers a way around both existing and new legal protections.”