Commenting on the latest ONS figure on the number of employee contracts that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary said:
“The huge rise in these risky employment contracts shows how weak and precarious the labour market is. It is shocking for the Government to brag about a recovering economy when there are more than 1.4 million contracts in use that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours and a regular source of income for workers. These figures show that once again it is women who are bearing the brunt of this Government’s austerity agenda, as they make up the majority of the workforce on unfair zero hours contracts.
“Not knowing from week to week what money you have coming in to buy food and pay your bills is distressing.
“Having your working hours varied at short notice is also stressful and it makes planning, childcare arrangements and budgeting hard.
“Employers already have more flexibility than they need and workers struggle as a result. People should have the right to regular hours and decent pay.
Dave Prentis added:
“It is disgraceful that more than one in five employers in health and social work use them. Our members tell us and the Cavendish Review highlighted that such contracts make continuity of care particularly difficult.”
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