1.4 million on zero hour contracts

Bantex_2

Must be a pain if you are single and have rent to pay.

wymondham

on the plus side .... it stops waste if you are a company - why pay someone when there is no work - stops people sitting on Facebook during the working day?!

getmore4less

they need to define a zero hours because some companies abuse the principle.

mutually agreed so you can turn down work
no exclusive clauses saying you have to be available
statutory holidays on all hours
employers cannot change/cancel agreed hours

this would mean employees can have multiple jobs and work for the best at the time
once booked you get paid no sending home without agreement

i would also legislate holidays accrue on the first 48hours in any week to cut down on the real scandal that is overlooked short time contracts.

getmore4less

There are places where the zero hours work great NHS bank.

chewmylegoff

The ONS also found that the average hours worked on a zero hours contract is 25. Given that they are intended for shift / part time / people with multiple employers, that sounds about what you would expect. If most people on zero hours were not doing any work then the average hours worked would be rather unlikely to be that high.

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

Carl31 wrote: »

My wifes pretty much on zero hours, i think shes contracted for about 3 hours a week, but works about 20-25 it works out pretty well to be honest, i dont think its all bad, plus the industry she works in struggles to find staff, even though 'there are no jobs'

Well don't worry. Uncle Ed's on his way to save those who don't need saving, rescue those who don't want rescuing. He's listened and decided that "zero hours" are evil and so must be banned.

purch

Graham_Devon wrote: »

What's slightly concerning is that the numbers (should say estimates really) have risen 800% in just a couple of years.

Lots of company's used to employ people on casual contracts, now they employ the same people with zero hour contracts.

Basically the same thing, but with a different name.

A friend of mine is MD of a medium sized Coach/Bus company. He used to have 10-15 drivers who worked on a casual basis, most of whom were self employed.

They'd tell the company when they were available, and if there was work that needed covering it would be given to them.

The changes to the rules by HMRC recently mean that they can't now be self-employed unless they set themselves up as a service company and provide their labour through that.

So most of the drivers are now on Zero Hours contracts, which actually give them enhanced protection, as it is an actual contract rather than just a casual agreement.

The drivers still work when they are available, and when work is available (in the coach industry it is always available)