‘We need an urgent and official review of zero hours contracts’

UNISON welcomed a new report this week from The Work Foundation called Flexibility or insecurity? Exploring the rise in zero hours contracts which calls for a systematic investigation into zero hours contracts.

Some of the findings were:

  • just under 18% of those on zero-hour contractss said they were looking for alternative employment, compared with 7% of all employees.
  • 60% of care-workers were on these contracts in 2011-12 compared with about 50% in 2008-9;
  • a significant share of those on such (43%) are in the top three occupational groups (managers, professionals and associate/technical staff), while 17% were manual skilled or semi-skilled jobs and another 17% were in care, leisure or sales jobs;
  • 44% had remained for two years or more with the same employer and 25% for five years or more; 75% had been in a job for more than two years;
  • 75% of those on zero hours contracts say their hours vary each week, compared to 40% of employees not on such contracts,
  • A CIPD survey found that 19% of employers were using them in July 2013 –  higher than the 8% estimate from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Survey.

Sampson Low, UNISON head of policy, said: “This report confirms we need an urgent and official review by government of the expansion of zero hours contracts. The current informal review by business secretary Vince Cable MP is inadequate.

A wide range of UNISON members are telling us about the uncertainty and problems these contracts bring and too often these jobs should be permanent with minimum hours and full employment rights.”

UNISON is currently conducting a branch survey on zero hours contracts. About 400 branches have replied already. If your branch hasn’t replied then please take the time to fill out the survey now.

Zero hours contracts survey

Work Foundation Report

A home care worker blogs on what a zero hours contracts is really like

UNISON zero hours factsheet [PDF]