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Hidden cost of living for gig economy workers revealed in survey

STRUGGLING workers in the gig economy are facing worsening problems through wage cuts and the rising costs of working, a new survey has shown.

In the approach to Christmas some of Britain’s most exploited workers are being forced to find second jobs and cut back on meals, according to the Independent Workers of Great Britain union (IWGB).

The union says corporations such as cab firm Uber, online retailer Amazon and fast-food delivery firm Deliveroo exploit workers who are classed as “self-employed” and are not protected by labour laws.

The IWGB survey reported pay cuts of up to 50 per cent, 80 per cent of workers cutting back on household food and energy spending, and more than 75 per cent working more hours or finding second jobs.

Others reported being unable to pay their rent.

Private hire driver Helio Cruz-Santos said that gig-economy workers are among the hardest hit by the crisis “because we have no basic worker rights to fall back on.”

“Many of us can’t even afford to put the heating on for our kids,” he said. 

“I am desperate to get out of the gig economy, it’s pointless, it’s inhumane and the only support we get is from our union, otherwise we’re isolated and at the mercy of the app.”

IWGB president Alex Marshall said: “The gig economy has always preyed on poverty and precarity, so the cost-of-living crisis creates a perfect climate for corporations to push down pay and conditions in the name of profit, whatever the cost to workers, their families and society as a whole.”

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