Zero Hours info and petition

In the past two weeks 38 Degrees members have shown the strength of our opposition to zero hours contracts. We’ve kept it at the top of the news agenda by sending over 125,000 emails to Sports Direct - a big user of the controversial contracts - and funding a legal test case to take them to court. [1]

But this is only the start - now we need to take on the government too.

Business minister Vince Cable has the power to change zero hours contracts so big businesses won’t be able to exploit employees. But he’s dragging his heels, and only ‘reviewing’ the situation internally. [2]

The internal investigation finishes at the end of August, so we need to act now. If thousands of us sign the petition and tell Vince Cable why zero hours contracts need to be changed, he’ll see how important this issue is. Vince Cable is sitting on the fence and hasn't yet committed to a public consultation, so a huge petition might just be enough to convince him.

Can you sign the petition now and demand that they hold a proper consultation:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/zero-hours-government

No-one seems to know how common zero hours contracts are. But recent estimates have suggested that up to a million people could be employed on them.[3] Vince Cable has said the main issue is when people are tied exclusively to one employer. [4] But there are many more problems, like no holiday pay, no sick pay and employers using contracts to threaten workers by cutting shifts.

Something is clearly wrong when contracts that should be a rare exception are so widespread.

Please sign the petition now and help make Vince Cable listen to us all:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/zero-hours-government

38 Degrees members have written over 125,000 emails to Sports Direct demanding they treat their staff properly and over 13,000 chipped in to help fund the legal case. Thousands of us have shared our experience of the contracts, showing how widespread the problems and exploitation are. Together, we are showing big businesses we won’t stand for exploitation in the workplace. [4] Now it’s time to turn our fire on the people making the law, and ensure that they protect hard-working people.

If enough of us sign the petition and explain why sorting out zero hours contracts is so important, it might be enough to push Vince Cable into launching a proper public consultation so everyone’s views can be heard. Let’s force him to listen to the public on this important issue.

Please sign the petition now and demand that the government take action:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/zero-hours-government

 

Vincent Cable will do what Gideon tells him.


The ****ing turncoat ****er.

 

Surely everyone who accepted a job at sports direct on a zero hour contract did just that, they accepted it. They had a choice and chose to take a job with that contract. I don't see how anyone can complain about it after.

 

I don't think it's as simple as that SuperTyke. They people taking these contracts dont really have that choice.

 

Did they all have a choice?? Really?

 

Interestingly though isn't sports direct a 'better' company to work for with regards to staff welfare?

 

Get another job?

This won't happen, the tide has turned in employment law in favour of the employer.

 

That's an example o you shouting the odds on something you know very little about methinks

 

You wouldn't.

By the way everybody, YOUR major museums paid for with YOUR taxes and lottery flutters also employ a zero hours policy.

 

They shouldn't even have to consider a zero hours contract to get a job. It's like going back to Victorian times.

 

It's what they want.

 

Doesn't make a difference to me who says what or where it comes from, anyone defending the widespread use of this sort of employment does not have the slightest regard for the workforce. Something that was little used and only because it suited worker and employer has now been obscenely and extensively used.
This country stinks at the moment.

 

A caller on radio five likened it to the Dockers who used to queue up each day and hope the owner picked them for a days labour. Any worker should know how many hours they are contracted for and how much they are going to be paid. Basic rights IMO.

 

So what about the company I work for then? We are fully staffed but due to the economy 'fully staffed' is still working with the bare minimum that they can get by with. All on proper contracts with proper hours.
Because of the low staffing levels they need to get people in as cover for when somebody is on holiday. In order to do that they have I think 3 people all employed on zero hour contracts. When they took the jobs they were all told that it wasn't regular work but was simply holiday/sickness cover on an as and when basis. If one isn't available then they phone another.

The company cant afford to set another person on on a regular contract so they have really only three choices.

1. Zero hour contracts to cover.
2. Use agencies (more expensive and I believe also zero hour contracts)
3. Set someone on and lay them off 5 days later every time.

Zero hour contracts have their place and if people choose to take a job on those terms then that is up to them.

 

It's much more than that, It's telling people they can't leave work at work and have a homelife. They have to live and breathe work, which when you're not even on the first rung of the management ladder is very wrong indeed. They want people to live to work instead of working to live.

 

You're comparing apples with oranges here ST. The issue with zero hour contracts is those companies that use them for their permanent staff who in many cases work as many hours as they would on full contracts.

 

Agree. You loony lefty

 

What utter b@114ck5

 

Other side of the coin is that they offer employers flexibility, required to run certain types of businesses. Some types of businesses rely on banks of workers to react to demand and wouldn't be able to operate without them. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, but that's the other argument and it seems pretty valid to me.

Im not sure how this could operate, if employers werent allowed zero contracts there would have to be a guarantee of certain hours per week wouldn't there? How many would that be. Two. Four? Seven? Nineteen?

There is a difference between Casual workers and employees in law and I am not sure if this is really understood.

 

Which bit? Assume you know about the 29 July changes are the further impending changes to the fee system?