Commenting on Office for National Statistics figures published today (Wednesday) showing that the number of zero-hours contracts has increased to 1.8m, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:
“Zero-hours contracts became more popular during the recession when employers sought to keep a lid on their costs and people were so desperate they’d take any work they could get.
“But rather than see a decline in the use of these casual contracts as the economy improved, today’s figures show zero-hours are booming.
“In fact this way of working has now become standard practice in the social care sector. This is bad news for social care workers and the elderly and disabled people they care for. They are now more likely to be cared for by a procession of strangers because the advent of zero-hours means their carers no longer have regular schedules.
“There’s no doubt that zero-hours suit a small number of workers but for most this way of working is far from ideal.
“These Victorian-style contracts put all the power with the employer, leaving individuals with no idea how many hours or how much money they’re getting from one week to the next. This plays havoc with family budgets and makes paying bills and applying for loans, mortgages and tenancy agreements nigh on impossible.
“Spending cuts have admittedly made life tough for public sector employers, but they should be leading by example – not ducking their commissioning responsibilities.
“Any local authority or NHS trust paying for services from local employers should be making sure that none of the successful bidders are exploiting zero-hours workers.”
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