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The government has started a consultation that will last 12 weeks on the use of zero-hours contracts. However, the responsible cabinet member ruled out a complete ban on zero-hours contracts from the start, saying the contracts had a place in the labour market even though there had been evidence of abuse of rights as they offered employers ‘welcome flexibility’. Zero-hours contracts do not guarantee regular work for employees. Business leaders welcomed the move not to ban zero-hours contracts but the trade unions bosses accused the government of being ‘desperately short on solutions’ to restrict their use. The unions added that zero-hours contracts are only part of the problem with today's precarious employment and irregular work patterns.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25442506
http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/gmb-on-zero-hours-contracts
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.