Campaigners urge Government to maintain zero-hours contract reforms

Trade unions, charities and campaign groups have called on the Government to maintain planned reforms aimed at strengthening protections for workers on zero-hours contracts.

A coalition including the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Child Poverty Action Group, Fawcett Society, Timewise and Young Women’s Trust said ministers should resist calls from business groups to weaken proposals linked to the Employment Rights Act.

The groups said the Government should continue with plans to give workers the right to contracts reflecting their regular working hours, alongside rights to notice of shifts and compensation for cancelled work.

The intervention comes ahead of an expected Government consultation on guaranteed hours contracts and eligibility thresholds.

Campaigners warned that weakening the proposals could leave low-paid and insecure workers vulnerable to exploitation and create what they described as a new “race to the bottom” through the use of low-hours contracts.

The coalition is calling for a 12-week reference period for guaranteed hours eligibility and for agency workers to remain within scope of the reforms.

According to the TUC, employers could otherwise be incentivised to restrict workers’ hours to avoid triggering entitlement to more secure contracts.

The statement also highlighted concerns over the wider impact of insecure work, including financial uncertainty, difficulties arranging childcare and barriers to challenging workplace behaviour.