Unions warn workers are “stuck” in zero-hour contracts
A study published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) today warned that the majority of zero-hour contract workers are “stuck” in long-term zero-hour contracts.
The union body notes that hundreds of thousands of workers are trapped in low-payed and insecure jobs as bad employers are “parking workers on zero-hours contracts for years on end”.
In total, the latest data shows that there are 1.15 million people in the UK who are on zero-hour contracts.
The report highlights that 66% of zero-hours contact workers have been with their current employer for more than a year and 46% have been with their current employer for more than two.
Alarmingly, the report also reveals that 1 in 8 zero-hour contract workers have been with their current employer for over 10 years.
Black and minority ethnic (BME) women are nearly three times as likely as white men to be on zero-hour contracts.
This comes after TUC analysis published in August revealed that the number of BME workers in insecure work increased from 360,000 to 836,300 from 2011 to 2022.
The TUC attributes this increase to “structural racism in the jobs market”.
TUC General Secretary, Paul Nowak, said: “Everyone should be treated fairly at work. But too many workers – especially Black and ethnic minority women – are trapped in low-paid jobs on zero-hour contracts, with few rights and protections and no guarantee of shifts.
“Bad employers are parking workers on zero hour contracts for years on end. It’s not right.”
The union body believes that a ban on zero-hour contracts is “long overdue” and is campaigning for workers to have the right to a contract that reflects their regular hours.
As part of its New Deal for Working People, Labour is promising to ban zero-hours contracts.
The New Deal for Working People is pledging to:
- Ban zero-hours contracts
- End fire and rehire
- Give all workers day one rights on the job (Labour will get rid of qualifying time for basic rights, such as unfair dismissal, sick pay and parental leave)
- Ensure all workers get reasonable notice of any change in shifts or working time with proportionate compensation
- Strengthen enforcement by making sure the labour market enforcement bodies have the powers they need.
The party says that, if successful at the next general election, it will deliver an employment bill in its first 100 days.
The GMB union convener, Chris Mitchell, said: “I would ban zero-hours contracts, definitely. I think it’s just playing on people’s misery.
“You’re basically becoming a slave to your employer without earning any extra money.
“I represent low-paid workers right across the country and I’ve seen misery when it comes to zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.
“I think if Labour are going to radicalise the whole process, I think they will need to start right away.
“If Labour want to kick-start the economy, kick-start Britain, then they need to ban zero-hours contracts.”
