Zero-hours workers need greater protection, says TUC
25 Jun 2014 10:45 AM
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.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews
- Congress 2014 will be held at the Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool,
from
Sunday 7 September to Wednesday 10 September. Free media passes can be obtained
by visiting www.tuc.org.uk/media-credentials and completing an online form.
Applications must be in by noon on Wednesday 27 August. Any received later than
that will be processed in Liverpool and will cost £75.
Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778
158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717
531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk