Zero-hours ban proposal under fire from firms and unions
Ministers are facing criticism from unions and employers after laying out details of plans for a guaranteed regular working week as part of a ban on zero-hours contracts.
Under rules due to come into force next year, employers will have to offer staff on zero hours or “short hours” contracts, including agency workers, a minimum number of hours a week based on their regular working hours.
In a consultation launched yesterday on how to implement the ban, the government said its preference was that workers would be guaranteed a minimum of between eight and 20 hours a week if their current contracts are at or below that level.
More than 1 million people in the UK are on zero-hours contracts – where a worker is not guaranteed a minimum number of hours – in areas from hospitality to hospitals.
The changes are part of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, which came into law late last year.
Unions said they were disappointed the guarantee was for no more than 20 hours a week. Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “Many of our members are employed on short-hours contracts, routinely working significantly more hours than they are contracted. Those additional hours can be removed at the discretion of the employer.”
She said young people, women, disabled workers and those from minority communities were disproportionately affected.
Employer groups warned that over-regulation could put jobs at risk, especially for young people. They called for a longer reference period and asked to retain the right to use zero-hours in some circumstances.
Helen Dickinson, head of the British Retail Consortium, said: “With over a million young people out of work or education, government cannot afford to get this wrong. Crack down on bad employers by all means, but not by adding costs and rules that deter good employers from hiring.”