I am writing in response to the In Focus piece Pimlico ruling uncovers murky waters of employment rights, June 22, 2018.
Following your request, the Association of Optometrist’s (AOP) readily provided statistics to help illustrate the number of locums operating within the optical sector and commentary around employment status to feature in the article. We were therefore surprised, and disappointed, to see that the information given had been misrepresented, misleading readers as a result.
The percentage of the AOP’s UK members identifying as locums is just over 39%, which was correctly presented. However, the article then asserted that employees, rather than locums, were less likely to be members – according to the AOP. This is not the case and is not a statement we provided.
To clarify, we noted that 39% is likely to be a higher percentage of locums than that of the overall representation across the sector. This is because the AOP’s membership package attracts a large proportion of the locum workforce. In view of this, we would like a correction to be issued.