Leading Law Firm Slams ‘Exploitative’ Zero-Hours Contracts
Leading law firm, Thompson Solicitors, has slammed ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and the coalition government’s “sham” consultation exercise into the use of the controversial employment contracts.
Thompsons Solicitors say zero-hours contracts provide no guarantee of work and can trap people into working for a single employer with ‘exclusivity’ clauses.
People trapped on zero-hours contracts have no idea how many hours they will be required to complete. Consequently, employees have no clear indication on how much they will be paid from week to week.
The law firm say the contracts prevent parents from planning family activities, and organising childcare, because zero-hours employees can be called into work at a moments notice on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. This widespread ‘exploitation’ which ‘gives people no choice’ needs to be tackled, say Thompsons.
Responding to the consultation, Thomsons said that ‘exclusivity clauses’, which prevent zero-hours employees from working elsewhere, should be banned entirely. Not all zero-hours contracts include exclusivity clauses.
They also say that all zero-hours contracts should provide the same ‘basic employment rights’ already included in other contractual arrangements.
Workers should also be able to demand a “traditional contract” after a set period on a zero-hours contract. Thompsons claim that this right could be ‘introduced under the Part-time Workers Directive‘.
Zero-hours employees “on call” should also be protected by existing National Minimum Wage Legislation, which Thompsons say would help discourage employers from exploiting workers.
Thompsons Chief Executive Stephen Cavalier said:
“People on zero hours contracts have no guaranteed income and no certainty of when or whether they will be working. They cannot plan their lives, organise childcare or take on commitments. They are forced to accept zero hours contracts on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. They have no real choice. It is exploitation that needs to be tackled.
“There should be zero tolerance of these exploitative contracts; abuses should be tackled. The government should outlaw zero hours contracts which tie workers to an employer with no guarantee of either work or pay.
“These five measures for reform will put an end to the abuse of zero hours contracts and, if implemented, would be a real signal from the government that they are taking low paid workers and their families seriously.
“There are too many families in the UK living below the poverty line. For the first time, more than half of those in poverty in the UK are working families. Unless urgent action is taken to tackle zero hours contracts, that situation will only get worse.”
Source – Welfare News Service, 19 May 2014
http://welfarenewsservice.com/leading-law-firm-slams-exploitative-zero-hours-contracts/
UNEMPLOYED IN TYNE & WEAR 
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It’s not even a “take it or leave it” basis. One has to be enthusiastic and reliable, to be always ready to cover others shifts or often, to be prepared to drop everything (or lose shifts) because of others incompetence in accurately predicting the number of staff required to cover a bank holiday weekend, a large party or zcextra footfall of a sale. This is frequently a couple of hours notice. Demonstrating this subservience to the whims of others (understandably) results in more phone calls, other times it means being prepared to graciously lose your shifts too. this makes you a good employee but an unreliable anything-else. It gives managers cover further up line for their impompetence, personal favouritism or even sheer spite.
I’ve known particularly bad employers with huge numbers on zero-hours contracts, each given tiny numbers of hours for weeks, even no hours for a week at a time. Such peope become desperate for work, aware that a “thanks, but no” will put your number back to the end of the pile until the next big fluster-fcuk. An employee has no way to show they are a “team player” if the calls don’t come and being a “team player” always means their inconveniences – not the team leaders. Zero hours contracts provide camouflage for bad managers, who are promoted above their abilities instead of being revealed for what they are and cut down. Thus they disadvantage the whole company.
“Thanks, but no” and “I’ll leave it” might not be so bad if it meant that the next call would still come, if having a pre-planned engagement one week couldn’t lose you your pre-planned rent or mortagage payment next month too.