TUC - Hundreds of thousands of workers stuck on zero hours contracts “for years on end”

Hundreds of thousands of workers across the country are stuck on zero-hours contracts for years on end, according to new TUC analysis published today (Monday). 

The union body’s analysis finds: 

The TUC says the Employment Rights Bill, which will crack down on the scourge of insecure work, will deliver the economic reset working people desperately need. 

Recent polling by the union body reveals a massive 8 in 10 (84%) zero hours contract workers want regular hours of work – compared to just 1 in 7 (14%) who don’t. 

Insecure work epidemic stunting growth 

With over a million on zero hours contracts up and down the country and many stuck in precarious work in the long-term, the TUC warns of an “insecure work epidemic” which is holding workers and the economy back. 

The warning comes after criticisms of the Employment Rights Bill from the Conservative Party leader. 

The TUC says stronger rights at work and higher growth rates go hand in hand by driving up labour market participation, improving health, raising productivity and boosting demand. 

 Those arguing against change are ignoring the evidence and the impact that insecure work has on working people’s lives, says the TUC.   

After the biggest squeeze in living standards in 200 years, the union body says stronger rights will give working people the higher living standards and secure incomes that are needed to build a decent life.   

Lack of control and low pay 

The union body warns that zero hours contracts also come with a significant pay penalty. 

TUC analysis shows the average zero-hours contract worker typically earns around a third less (£10.68 an hour) than the median hourly rate (£15.69). 

The TUC says zero-hours contracts give employers complete control over workers’ hours – and therefore pay – meaning workers don’t know how much they will earn each week.   

The union body argues that this makes it hard for workers to plan their lives, budget and look after their children. 

And it makes it harder for workers to challenge unacceptable behaviour by bosses because of concerns about whether they will be penalised by not being allocated hours in future.   

The recent reports on McDonald’s alleging widespread sexual harassment and bullying – where 9 in 10 workers are on a zero hours contract – was a stark reminder of how insecure work and workplace abuses can go hand in hand, the TUC says. 

Employment Rights Bill 

A recent TUC poll found: 

The TUC says that the proposed ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts in Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is “long overdue” and has “huge support”. 

And separate TUC polling published in July revealed that the vast majority (67%) of voters in Britain – across the political spectrum – supported banning zero-hours contracts by offering all workers a contract that reflects their normal hours of work and compensation for cancelled shifts.  

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:   

“Zero-hours contracts give bosses almost total control of workers’ earning power and hours – making it a nightmare for families to plan budgets and childcare. 

“As we have seen with recent scandals, these precarious contracts make it far too easy for managers to bully and harass staff frightened about losing shifts. 

“I would challenge any boss to try and survive for a few months on a zero-hours contract not knowing from week to week how much work they will have – let alone a decade. 

“After 14 years of Conservative decline, the era of low-rights, low-pay and low-productivity has been tested to destruction. 

“Those defending the broken status quo are putting their own vested interests ahead of working people’s lives and ignoring the evidence in front of their eyes.