ZERO HOUR'S CONTRACTS

[tintinthegingertomcat]

Can anyone out there give me the pro's and con's of jobs that only offer a zero hour's contract. The information I have been given is to avoid them like the plague....thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

[hansrey64]

These contracts basically mean that your hours could be anything from one week to another! Avoid if you can, I certianly would not take a job with zero hour contracts. Its just less money to pay out if you leave etc.

[tintinthegingertomcat]

Thanks Hansrey....that is the information I was told. Just that I went for a job interview at a hotel today and could feel good vibes...and right at the end I was told it was zero hours contract which after looking on line does not look good as I have regular bills to pay. Also I might get all the hours I can before christmas but after christmas that would be another kettle of fish when business dies down.  I need regular employment with a regular salary - if I come off JSA and then hours go right down after christmas I will be unable to claim again and will get into the red with the bank. Just the confirmation I needed thanks.

[ed_blackadder_1]

I think most of them don't pay holiday pay or company sick pay, and you could work one week and not the next, whilst this suits some people its not easy if you have regular bills to pay as you don't know from one month to the next how much you are going to get.

Our firm don't do zero contracts but they do 3.75 hour contracts, not much better.

[hansrey64]

Make sure you claim  any tax credits  etc if you are entiled to.

[stroppy*cow]

The government are actually looking at zero hours contracts, and they may soon be illegal.

Probably no entitlement to company sick pay, any statutory sick pay would be calculated on your average hours.

Even with a zero hours contract you have an entitlement to a minimum of 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year (including bank holidays), holiday pay would be calculated on avaerage hours worked. Likewise, there is a legal entitlement to redundancy if you have been employed long enough, again worked out on average hours.

Another problem can be that if you don't work every hour that they ask, including some very odd, anti-social and short shifts, you come bottom of the pile when hours are being allocated. It all depends on the employer, but you would be very vulnerable.

[captainbovine]

I've never heard of that before.....and it's disgraceful!!

Ed, I didn't know we did that

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

Personally I would take the job if it was offered - even with a zero hours contract.  2 reasons

1.  It's easier to get a job when you've got one - it also shows any prospective employer you are willing to work.

2.  Experience, it's another string to your bow, making you more employable for another job.

[guardpig]

Until Universal credit comes in I would avoid like the plague if you are getting any means teasted benefits and would be purely reliant on the one job.  Part of the  idea of universal credit and real time reporting is to allow people to take short term, part time, extra hours, temp work without having to reclaim or think about  benefits all the time.

We had a chap who was single, house sharing, who worked for us on a casual as and when basis for over a year. He also had another job and played gigs so sometimes he had to juggle if he was really needed other times we had to juggle to fit his availability in. Headaches both sides but he earned over jobseekers amount(which was all he got) every week just from us. He also got holiday pay(pro-rata). 

Basically with somebody happy to fill in it means you can take on extra work, cover that holiday period(he very awkwardly didn't come back from his holiday so we are struggling to cover another guy's work this next fortnight), allow for slack times and offer at least some employment, wages and a reference when moving on to somebody.  It can work but is just like working for a temp agency. 

Where it is very unfair is if the contracts tie you to only that one job.  You need more strings to your bow to make a living on zero hours.  Look at the contract, weigh up the pros and cons for you and then decide.

Good luck

[tintinthegingertomcat]

Thanks Guardpig - your sum up of the situation was extremely informative and I agree that it would be akin to working for a temp agency.

As a single mum of one who has to pay all the bills including rent of a large amount each month this type of contract would mess everything up and if it got to the point where I was working 10 hours per week, and not getting what I get now, then that would ensure that my rent money wasnt there and I could end up getting evicted.

I have always in the past worked on a fixed contract - fixed hours, fixed salary, fixed time scales etc.

I have never given these zero hours contract much thought previously as I have never been asked to work under the umbrella of one.

It is a real shame as the job seemed good - even though it was minimum wage and would have been good to add to the CV but if the work isnt guaranteed I would not be able to take the gamble. My son is 15 and taking all his O and A levels over the next two years so he needs stability as well to deal with all that extra pressure.

Thanks once again for all the comments - it is basically as I thought and to avoid like the plague. In fact one of my friends on facebook (actually ex husband) said to take a job on zero hours contract should necessitate me being taken into the local loony bin. Bit harsh on the wording but he got the point across.

Thanks again one and all you are such a helpful lot on this board

[rose2008-2008]

I think its just a way of making you do what they want and giving power to themselves while you have no rights. Its bad enough as it is with what they are trying to make you do now with as little staff as possible!!!!!!!!.. The words Slave and Drivers come to mind!!!!.

[notgrumpyreally]

We employ someone on zero hours and he loves it. We have cover for holidays etc, he does other jobs and sees the hours he gets from us as a bonus & he comes to the Christmas dinner 🙂 They're useful for small companies like mine. We're not exploiting him and nor are these other companies as long as it is made clear up front.

[**towery**]

i think  zero hour contracts are only suitable for people who are  not using them  as a main income like

people with a permanent part time job who like to top up their income

students who dont want to run up a big overdraft and can fit work in with college

anyone who isnt claiming benefits for anything

[bankhaunter]

Where the employer is responsible and such work suits the employee it can be a good arrangement.

Where the employer is exploitative, it makes the employee a slave at the beck and call of their master, some contracts prevent the employee for working for anyone else when they are not working for them.