Articles and News

Protection for workers now in force

Finally, some real protection has been introduced for zero hour contract workers.

Now in effect, The Exclusivity Terms in Zero Hour Contracts (Redress) Regulations 2015 provide that:-

• any dismissal of a zero hour contract employee is automatically unfair, if the principal reason is that s/he breached a contractual clause prohibiting him/her from working for another employer
• no qualifying period is required to bring such an unfair dismissal claim; and,
• it is also unlawful to submit a zero hour worker (note: worker not employee) to detriments if they work for another employer in breach of a clause prohibiting them from doing so.

Comment: These new provisions are certainly understandable, reasonable and fair  and necessary – previously unscrupulous employers wanted their cake and were eating it but at least it means zero hour workers situations shouldn’t be abused from now on in this way (whether such contracts should be used in the first place depending on the nature of the relationship is another matter entirely!!)