The UK government is planning to prohibit exploitative zero-hour contracts, including those given to agency workers, from new changes to employment rules. The new legislation will mean that agency workers must be given a contract that sets out how many hours they must work weekly. Agency workers who have their shifts cancelled at the last minute when they are on such contracts will be entitled to some form of compensation. This is after the unions had complained that if agency workers were to be excluded from the ban then the employers would simply try to circumvent the ban by employing people through staffing firms. More than a million people in the UK are currently in zero-hours contracts, including in the hospitality, warehouse and healthcare industries. The TUC has said that many of these workers have been in the same role for years with no job security. However, there are about 900,000 agency workers, many of whom the reform could help. However, concerns have been raised by recruitment firms and staffing agencies. Some of the industry leaders like Hays and Manpower have expressed concerns that restricting zero-hours contracts may decrease the hiring flexibility, extend the time of projects and increase the rate of self-employment. The employment bill also has other worker protections; for instance, there is a new right to bereavement leave for parents who have had a miscarriage. Also, 1.3 million of the lowest paid UK workers will be entitled to sick pay from the first day of their illness, meaning that the UK’s historically low statutory sick pay rates will be a thing of the past. From these reforms, the government seeks to enhance job security without jeopardizing flexibility in the workplace.
UK Zero-Hours Contracts Ban
