{"id":105353,"date":"2025-03-04T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=105353"},"modified":"2025-03-04T12:24:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T12:24:53","slug":"uk-cracks-down-on-zero-hours-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/uk-cracks-down-on-zero-hours-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Cracks Down on Zero-Hours Contracts\u2014Agency Workers Now Included"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UK government is set to introduce a ban on \u201cexploitative\u201d zero-hours contracts<\/strong>, ensuring that agency workers receive a minimum number of guaranteed hours each week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes, part of the Employment Rights Bill<\/strong>, aim to close legal loopholes that allow employers to circumvent regulations by hiring temporary staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the new rules, agency workers who prefer zero-hours contracts will be eligible for compensation<\/strong> if their shifts are changed at short notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move follows sustained pressure from trade unions, which have argued that thousands of workers remain in precarious employment despite long-term service for the same company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agency Workers Included in Zero-Hours Contract Ban<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reforms, expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, represent a significant step in the government\u2019s efforts to improve employment rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the BBC, the legislation will mandate that agency workers receive contracts guaranteeing a minimum number of working hours<\/strong> each week. However, ministers have yet to determine whether this will be calculated over a 12-week reference period or longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 1 million people in the UK currently employed on zero-hours contracts, the amendments seek to prevent businesses from sidestepping employment <\/a>protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Novak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC<\/a>), welcomed the move, stating that agency workers make up a significant proportion of the zero-hours workforce and need protections from bad working practices too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unions have long campaigned for agency workers to be covered by the ban, warning that businesses could otherwise exploit a loophole by shifting employees onto agency contracts. Currently, an estimated 900,000 agency workers operate across sectors including hospitality, warehouses, and the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Concerns Over Flexibility and Hiring Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite union support, some industry leaders have expressed concerns over the potential negative impact on business flexibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC<\/a>), agency work is often chosen specifically for the freedom and adaptability it provides. Kate Shoesmith, REC\u2019s deputy chief executive, warned that legislative changes must not undermine the benefits of flexible employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading recruitment firms, including Hays, Adecco, and Manpower, have also raised objections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, they described the new regulations as \u201cunworkable\u201d, arguing that they could reduce hiring levels and lead to delays in work <\/a>completion. Some business groups remain sceptical, stating that the amendments lack clear implementation details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Employment Rights Bill also includes other significant reforms, such as granting bereavement leave for parents who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks and extending sick pay to 1.3 million of the UK\u2019s lowest-paid workers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a major employment reform, the UK will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, forcing companies to guarantee working hours for agency staff. Unions hail it as a victory for workers\u2019 rights, while recruiters warn of unintended consequences. The changes, part of the Employment Rights Bill, come after years of debate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":105355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105353"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105365,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105353\/revisions\/105365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}