With effect from 31 May 2021, aspects of the Employment Rights Act which protects employees from detriments in the workplace where they have made complaints in relation to health and safety issues, have been extended to workers. This means that any worker providing a personal service will be covered, including consultants, casual and agency workers.
This extension in protection is relevant in the context of Covid-19 with an increasing number of complaints brought before the Tribunal where workers allege they were treated to their detriment for making complaints in relation to the safety of their workplace during the pandemic.