TUC will not ask for zero hours contract ban
8 July 2013
A senior manager at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says the organisation is unlikely to call for an “outright ban” on controversial zero hours contracts.
Fri, 5 July 2013A senior manager at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says the organisation is unlikely to call for an “outright ban” on controversial zero hours contracts.
Nicola Smith, the head of the economic and social affairs department at the TUC, said last Thursday (4 July) at an event held by The Work Foundation: “I don’t think we’re going to call for an outright ban.”
Her comment’s went further than what the TUC had said in a statement just the previous day, condemning the “worrying trend” of rising use of the contracts, and “asking ministers to consider introducing regulation to prevent their continued misuse”.
However, the body had not made clear whether or not it would ask for an outright ban.
Last month, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced informal investigations into zero hours contracts, saying it would announce possible next steps in the autumn.
Smith also noted at the event that in the UK “we’re seeing a rise in all sorts of insecure work”, although acknowledged that “the vast majority” of employers using zero hours contracts do not do so in an exploitative way.
Also speaking at the event were The Work Foundation’s director Ian Brinkley, chief executive officer of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation Kevin Green, and MPs Stephen Lloyd and Alison McGovern. For more on the event see recruiter.co.uk tomorrow and the July edition of Recruiter, out next week.
More on zero hours contracts:
Nicola Smith, the head of the economic and social affairs department at the TUC, said last Thursday (4 July) at an event held by The Work Foundation: “I don’t think we’re going to call for an outright ban.”
Her comment’s went further than what the TUC had said in a statement just the previous day, condemning the “worrying trend” of rising use of the contracts, and “asking ministers to consider introducing regulation to prevent their continued misuse”.
However, the body had not made clear whether or not it would ask for an outright ban.
Last month, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced informal investigations into zero hours contracts, saying it would announce possible next steps in the autumn.
Smith also noted at the event that in the UK “we’re seeing a rise in all sorts of insecure work”, although acknowledged that “the vast majority” of employers using zero hours contracts do not do so in an exploitative way.
Also speaking at the event were The Work Foundation’s director Ian Brinkley, chief executive officer of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation Kevin Green, and MPs Stephen Lloyd and Alison McGovern. For more on the event see recruiter.co.uk tomorrow and the July edition of Recruiter, out next week.
More on zero hours contracts:
- ‘Labour could pledge end to zero hours contracts’ (recruiter.co.uk, 29 Apr)
- ‘Zero hours contracts hit 200,000’ (recruiter.co.uk, 3 Apr 2013)
- Infographic from The Work Foundation, ‘Key facts about zero hours contracts’ (external)
