Zero Hours Contracts
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the guaranteed hours provisions beyond zero‑hours contracts to include low‑hours contracts on workers; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that measures do not unintentionally restrict flexible low‑hours work.
Answered by Kate Dearden
The government has published impact assessments for the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act.
The government has assessed that extending the right to guaranteed hours to workers who already have some hours guaranteed could improve income security and predictability for those whose contractual hours do not reflect the hours they regularly work, as with workers on zero hours contracts.
We are consulting employers and trade unions to understand potential unintended impacts, and will use that evidence to ensure the measures strike the right balance.
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