Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Insecure workers ‘twice as likely to die from Covid,’ TUC analysis reveals
Sick pay must be raised to living wage and zero-hours contracts banned, say unions
Deliveroo riders from the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) in the City of London, as they go on strike in a dispute for fair pay, safety protections and basic workers' rights

INSECURE and gig-economy workers are twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as those in more secure work, damning analysis by the TUC has revealed.

Lack of sick pay, fewer rights and endemic low wages, combined with occupations that frequently expose people to the virus, have contributed to a mortality rate among insecure workers double that among others, according to the trade union body.

Among male workers without guaranteed regular hours or income, or in low-paid self-employment, the Covid-19 death rate between March and December last year was 51 per 100,000, compared with 24 per 100,000 for those in more secure work.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
paul nowak
Retail sector / 24 December 2025
24 December 2025
WORKERS ON THE MARCH: Calling for a new deal for working people in 2022
TUC Congress 2025 / 8 September 2025
8 September 2025

Labour must not allow unelected members of the upper house to erode a single provision of the Employment Rights Bill, argues ANDY MCDONALD MP

Workers' Rights / 1 July 2025
1 July 2025
Office workers and commuters walking through Canary Wharf in London during the morning rush hour
Workers' Rights / 13 May 2025
13 May 2025