Zero-hours workers need greater protection, says TUC

Preventing employers from insisting that their zero-hours staff are only allowed to work for them will be good news for some employees, but the government needs to go much further if the widespread abuse of these kind of contracts is to be stamped out, says the TUC today (Wednesday).

Commenting on the news that the government plans to stop the use of exclusivity contracts – which prevent workers on zero-hours contracts from working for more than one employer, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The ban is welcome news but it’s not nearly enough to really tackle the problem. A lack of certainty is the real issue. Far too many employees have no idea from one week to the next just how many hours they’ll be working or more importantly how much money they’ll earn. This makes managing household budgets stressful and organising childcare very difficult indeed.

“The one change that would really make a difference would be for employers to have to guarantee their staff a minimum number of paid hours each week. And as the economy continues to grow that would give many zero-hours workers struggling to get by a much-needed pay rise.”

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