Kids on zero hour contracts and five months unpaid training periods with Kwikfit

So you don't really need to offer contracts to people, you pay them per job at an agreed price. I'm confused as to why you needed to ask the question. Or maybe I should just let the person you asked speak for themselves (as they're more than able to!).

 

Yes you're correct. But I was referring to other aspects of my business - eg my shop, cleaning and washing caravans etc. Some days I could afford to employ someone, and some days I would make a huge loss!! That is when employing someone on a zero hours contract may be useful to my business (if I agreed in principle with them).

 

Aha yes. Sorry, didn't mean to infer they all are, just the reptiles.

 

I'm sure it cuts people taking a day off, but I'm not sure it's healthy having staff in when they are not well, for them and everyone else.

 

It's reyt I know you didn't mean it like that!

 

Surely a zero hour contract is not a contract?

To me, it sounds like a legal loop-hole that needs addressing.

UK employment law is balanced heavily in favour of the employer and not the employee.

My colleague, based in Strasbourg, working for same company and same grade as myself, receives 42 days leave per annum, I get 25. Same in Germany, they get 30(+).

Global companies, when in cost-saving mode, generally look at regions where it is easy and low cost to shed people......and from my experience, UK is always the hardest hit.

UK employment terms, compared to our EU counterparts, is poor.

 

I temped for a while, spent 18 months at one place, couldn't afford a day off as no sick pay. Not much fun turning up at work with the flu and infecting other people, having them tell me to go home whilst explaining I wouldn't get paid if I did.

 

It's just another way to keep the wages and conditions as low as possible , the minimum wage is a disgrace , impossible to support a family on it unless off tax credits , and tax credits just subsidise the bad employers to pay as little as they can

 

Yes Watcher, I agree. But if you read my post I am distinguishing between the genuine sick and the skivers, because any manager worth their salt can do this.

People who are genuinely sick should not be at work, for theirs and everyone else's sake.

 

Exactly my point, Pasta.

As an employer, I would just say to people "can you help out on such a date".

But McDonalds etc seem to want it all their own way, keeping people hanging on to be called into work. You can't do that to people - there's no future/promotion/prospects/training/career development etc.

 

Isn't an alternative view point that kwik fit are offering free training courses?

 

Have you been in a Kwikfit recently? All they'll learn is how not to answer the phone and be a general dogsbody. 5 months to learn how to make big Daves tea how he likes it. Exploited

 

Do they get any qualification at the end of it though?

 

Nope, just a box of tea bags

 

PG Tips or Tetley?

 

Green...

Like the kids