5,000 signatures reached
To: UK Government
Stamp out zero-hours contracts: protect all workers from exploitation
Insecure work is out of control. Millions are stuck on variable-hours contracts, unsure how much they’ll earn from week to week.
They struggle to plan their lives, look after their children, or budget for the future.
In its manifesto, the government committed to banning zero-hours contracts by offering workers a right to guaranteed hours and other protections.
Employers are now seeking to undermine that pledge.
With ministers about to launch a consultation on their guaranteed hours proposals, business groups are calling for the new protections to be watered down.
But we know that everyone deserves a secure job they can rely on.
The government must stand firm on its pledge to ban zero hours contracts. Let's protect all workers from exploitation.
They struggle to plan their lives, look after their children, or budget for the future.
In its manifesto, the government committed to banning zero-hours contracts by offering workers a right to guaranteed hours and other protections.
Employers are now seeking to undermine that pledge.
With ministers about to launch a consultation on their guaranteed hours proposals, business groups are calling for the new protections to be watered down.
But we know that everyone deserves a secure job they can rely on.
The government must stand firm on its pledge to ban zero hours contracts. Let's protect all workers from exploitation.
Why is this important?
In the new Employment Rights Act, the government committed to offering workers:
- an automatic right to a contract that reflects their regular hours,
- notice of their shifts,
- and compensation for cancelled shifts.
The planned consultation will set a maximum number of contracted hours you can have to be entitled to these new rights.
Protections could be limited to people currently working very low hours each week.
Instead, unions are calling for these rights to cover all of us.
Failing to get this right could create a race to the bottom, with employers offering contracts at the new legal minimum, simply raising the floor slightly above zero hours.
Rent, bills, food, and childcare don’t disappear if your hours get cancelled. However many hours you work, you need certainty to plan your life.
Together, let's fight back against bad employers and deliver the secure contracts we deserve. Add your name today.