We are the 99% - Take the wealth off the 1% Socialist Party placard, photo Paul Mattsson

We are the 99% – Take the wealth off the 1% Socialist Party placard, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

The ‘precariat’ – workers employed on zero-hour contracts and insecure work in the ‘gig economy’ – is costing public funds nearly £4 billion a year in lost taxation and benefits, according to the Trade Union Congress.

Workers unable to secure full-time employment are often forced into self-employment, with many effectively earning less than the minimum wage. Officially, the number of self-employed has soared by 26% in the last decade to 4.8 million – 15% of the UK workforce.

The government blithely says it is “creating an economy that works for everyone.” For sure it works for the UK’s top 1,000 super-rich individuals. Their overall fortune increased last year to £576 billion, up from £547 billion in 2015.

Simon Carter