Section 41: Contract workers

Equality Act 2010 · 2010 c. 15View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 5: Work — Chapter 1: Employment, etc.

A principal must not discriminate against a contract worker—

as to the terms on which the principal allows the worker to do the work;
by not allowing the worker to do, or to continue to do, the work;
in the way the principal affords the worker access, or by not affording the worker access, to opportunities for receiving a benefit, facility or service;
by subjecting the worker to any other detriment.

A principal must not, in relation to contract work, harass a contract worker.

A principal must not victimise a contract worker—

as to the terms on which the principal allows the worker to do the work;
by not allowing the worker to do, or to continue to do, the work;
in the way the principal affords the worker access, or by not affording the worker access, to opportunities for receiving a benefit, facility or service;
by subjecting the worker to any other detriment.

A duty to make reasonable adjustments applies to a principal (as well as to the employer of a contract worker).

A "principal" is a person who makes work available for an individual who is—

employed by another person, and
supplied by that other person in furtherance of a contract to which the principal is a party (whether or not that other person is a party to it).

"Contract work" is work such as is mentioned in subsection (5).

A "contract worker" is an individual supplied to a principal in furtherance of a contract such as is mentioned in subsection (5)(b).

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.