Inquiry Line (Signal only)

Live Broadcast

An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 405

Zero good news on zero hours contracts?

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Pocket
WhatsApp

It's true that the latest figures show that their growth has plateaued but there are still too many people on them who are being exploited and the Government's proposed response is woeful

There would appear to be modest signs of progress when it comes to the exploitative zero hours contracts that hundreds of thousands of Britons find themselves stuck on in the latest data.

Official figures show the number of firms using them did rise to 1.8m in the year to November, up from 1.7m the previous year.

Not exactly good news, but the Office for National Statistics noted that the survey methodology had changed so cautioned against drawing firm conclusions.

Read more

Meanwhile the proportion of the workforce on them stayed flat at 6 per cent, and the available evidence at least seems to suggests that their runaway growth has slowed.

The Resolution Foundation pointed to a positive from another dataset which looks at the actual number of contracts in force. It came in at 901,000 between October and December 2017, a slight fall compared to six moths ago.

However, the problem is this: There are still around 900,000 workers in this country who don’t know how many hours they’re going to get from one week to the next.

In some sectors, hospitality for example, they represent as much as 20 per cent of the labour force, with young and female workers particularly badly affected.

It is true that the zero hours arrangement works for some of them. But only some. Others suffer, with shifts cancelled at the drop of a hat on the one hand, while the screw is turned if they are unable to take up hours on the other. The “flexibility” in the zero hours contract often works only for the employer. A sizeable proportion of employees on them are being ruthlessly exploited.

It isn’t hard to see the reason for the modest fall in their number: Unemployment is at a 43-year low.

As things stand, there are alternatives out there for people with bad employers, alternatives that include guaranteed hours for those that want them.

However, that shouldn’t get the Government off the hook for sitting back while the problem has ballooned in front of its eyes. It is also true that Theresa May & Co are embarked on a suicidally stupid economic course with their beloved hard Brexit. The current zero hours slowdown could easily go into reverse as that takes away the alternatives.

In the wake of the Taylor Review into employment, ministers proposed to address the issue by providing workers with the “right to request” a more stable employment contract. The word “pathetic” isn’t nearly strong enough to describe that as a response. You can request such a contract now, but if you have a bad employer there’s no point. The Government’s proposals won’t change that.

On the other hand, Labour has mooted banning them. The problem with that is that it might hit those that the arrangement does work for.

Business news: in pictures

Business news: in pictures

  • 1/4

    Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold

    AFP/Getty

  • 2/4

    The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rue’s contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process.

  • 3/4

    Phillip Rasmussen, finance chief of technology company IQE, was killed in an accident while on holiday over the weekend. The company confirmed the 47 year old man had died while cycling in Menorca. A 25-year-old American man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, after failing a roadside breath test.

  • 4/4

    The Beast from the East wiped £4m off of Flybe’s revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airline’s estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Resolution’s senior economic analyst Stephen Clarke suggests a middle course: a new right to guaranteed hours for anyone who has in practice been doing regular hours on a zero hours contract for at least three months.

A law to enforce that would require very careful wording. It would need to be sufficiently robust to counter attempts by bad employers to get around it.

But it’s not a bad place to start.

Reuse contentRead the Original Article

Facebook Comments
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Pocket
WhatsApp

Never miss any important news. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Recent News

Follow Radio Biafra on Twitter

Editor's Pick