Two-thirds of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than a year, and one in eight for more than a decade.
According to the TUC, more than 720,000 workers are “stuck” in insecure work arrangements, despite 84% saying they would rather have regular hours of work.
Almost half of zero-hours contract workers (45%) have been working for their employer for more than two years, it found.
The government has pledged to eradicate “exploitative” zero-hours contracts as part of its Employment Rights Bill, although a recent parliamentary committee was told that banning them could promote “false self-employment”.
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The TUC argues that MPs and business bodies that are against the banning of such contracts are ignoring the impact insecure work can have on people’s lives.
Previous research from the TUC has shown that the average zero-hours contract worker typically earns around a third less (£10.68 an hour) than the median hourly rate (£15.69).
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.”
He claimed that people “defending the status quo” were putting vested interests ahead of people’s lives.
“This insecure work epidemic isn’t just holding back workers, it’s holding back our economy too,” he added.
“Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will crack down on zero-hours contracts and help end the scourge of insecure work – delivering a much-needed economic reset.”
In 2023, the number of young people on zero-hours contracts reached record levels in the UK, according to the Work Foundation at Lancaster University.
Nowak also hit back at claims from shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who claimed last week that the UK needed to “up its game” and improve its work ethic if it was to compete in the global economy.
He said: “The problem isn’t people’s work ethic – it’s the fact that work doesn’t pay.
“One in six workers in this country are skipping meals every week to make ends meet. This is the legacy of 14 years of falling living standards under the Tories.”
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