Everyone should have the right to a contract that reflects the hours they actually work. Labour’s Employment Rights Act could deliver that – but only if we keep pushing to make sure the government implements it properly.
This is what unpredictable hours mean for working people and their families:
“Would be happy with my overtime shift arrangement if the amount of hours I am given wasn’t quite so vastly different one week to the next. In last 4 weeks I have done a 35 hour week, followed by 14 hours, then 18 and 12. My average is 30 hours. Such reduction without any notice or explanation gives me a financial problem.” (Retail Worker, Luton)
“Work can take hours off me when they feel like it. I live in fear that my hours will go back to contracted anytime and would find it hard to live as I am living at my means now. Have asked for a full-time contract on many occasions to just be told that it is not possible.” (Retail Worker, Jarrow)
“My partner recently had to leave a job due to zero hours contracts even though at the interview she was promised 16 hours which resulted in our kids having to leave their day care which they had attended for two years people don’t see how this zero hours has an effect on young families that are trying to stay in work.” (Retail Worker, Northern Ireland)
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