A large majority of workers on zero-hours contracts would prefer regular hours, according to new poll findings.
The poll of zero-hours contract workers commissioned by the TUC revealed that 84% wanted regular hours of work – compared to just 14% who did not.
Underemployment was causing financial hardship for zero hours workers, the survey revealed, with 75% of workers not being offered sufficient hours to meet their costs.
More than half of workers’ requests for extra hours (58%) were being refused by those firms engaging them, however.
The TUC also found that more than half of zero hours workers had shifts cancelled at less than 24 hours’ notice and two-thirds received no compensation for cancelled shifts. Just 5% were fully compensated.
Half those surveyed said that zero hours work disrupted caring commitments – which the TUC said showed the weakness of the argument that zero hours work was a good way of helping working parents and carers balance paid work and unpaid caring commitments.
Analysis published by the union body in June revealed that 4.1 million people in the UK were employed in low-paid and insecure work – including around 1 million workers on zero-hours contracts.
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The TUC says the findings highlight the importance of the government’s forthcoming Employment Rights Bill including measures to ban the use of zero-hours contracts.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the Bill would create a “level playing field” and that he would “challenge any business leader or politician to try and survive on a zero-hours contract not knowing from week to week how much work they will have.
“It’s time to drive up employment standards in this country and to make work pay for everyone.
“The government’s forthcoming employment rights bill will help create a level playing field – and stop good employers from being undercut by the bad.”
The TUC has backing from the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. Chief executive Mubin Haq said: “From participating in family and social events, to balancing caring responsibilities, those on zero-hours contracts report greater challenges.
“Moreover, the financial penalties are significant with just a third receiving any compensation for loss of income. Addressing problems such as this are essential to delivering greater financial security.”
Julian Richer, founder and managing director of Richer Sounds, and founder of the Zero-Hours Justice campaign added that working people needed basic security, so that they knew when they would be working and how much they will earn. “A minority of employers exploit the ability to hire people on zero-hours contracts,” he said. “Driving up employment standards is in everyone’s interests. A ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts is well overdue.”
The government said its legislation would ensure workers had a right to a contract reflecting the number of hours they regularly worked, with reasonable notice of any change in shift patterns. This it said would put an end to “one-sided flexibility”. However, ministers have been accused by union leaders of being too open to pressure by business to water down the proposals.
It is considered likely that the government will not ban all zero-hours contracts as originally thought. Instead it may ban only “exploitative” ones, with workers who are at risk of being exploited gaining the opportunity to move onto a contract which reflects their regular hours.
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