Zero-hour contract ban to include agency workers

Agency workers volition beryllium included successful a prohibition connected "exploitative" zero hr contracts arsenic portion of ammendments to the government's employment betterment bill, the BBC understands.

The caller rules volition mean that bureau workers volition person to beryllium offered a declaration guaranteeing a minimum fig of hours each week.

It is 1 of a fig of additions to the Employment Rights Bill which volition beryllium outlined connected Tuesday.

While unions welcomed the inclusion of bureau workers successful the ban, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), which represents the sector, said the alteration should not "undermine" the "flexibility" that zero hr contracts connection immoderate workers.

Agency workers who take to beryllium connected zero hr contracts volition besides beryllium made eligible for compensation if their shifts are changed astatine abbreviated notice, it is understood.

Although the amendments volition not spell retired what "short notice" means.

There are astir 1 cardinal bureau unit successful the UK, moving crossed areas specified arsenic warehouses, successful hospitality and wrong the NHS.

The Labour authorities pledged past twelvemonth to prohibition "exploitative zero hours contracts" arsenic portion of the Employment Rights Bill.

The minimum hours offered successful a declaration to bureau workers volition beryllium calculated according to the mean fig of hours they usually work.

The BBC understands that the authorities is yet to determine whether this volition beryllium based connected a 12-week notation play oregon longer.

Trade unions person been campaigning for bureau workers to beryllium included successful the legislative changes to forestall employers getting circular the projected zero hours rules by hiring bureau staff.

Paul Novak, wide caput of the Trades Union Congress, said the authorities was close to adjacent this "loophole".

He said bureau workers "make up a important proportionality of the zero hours workforce and request protections from atrocious moving practices too".

But the REC said it was acrophobic astir the change.

Its lawman main executive, Kate Shoesmith, said radical take bureau enactment "for the flexibility it provides astatine a clip and signifier successful their life" and that the caller rules indispensable not undermine that.

She added that clip should beryllium fixed "to guarantee immoderate legislative changes bash not struggle with existing and hard-won protections for bureau workers".

The REC would "keep moving with the authorities to guarantee that," she said.

The BBC understands that the authorities volition array 250 amendments connected Tuesday.

They volition see doubling of the punishment imposed connected companies that prosecute successful alleged "fire and rehire'' practices.

This means that if they neglect to decently consult employees earlier dismissing and past rehiring them connected little favourable terms, they could beryllium forced to wage the idiosyncratic 180 days' worthy of wage successful compensation up from the existent 90 time punishment payment.

The amendments besides incorporate a committedness to widen sick wage to workers earning nether £123 a week from the archetypal time of their illness.

They volition beryllium entitled to 80% of their mean play net oregon statutory sick wage - which is presently £116.75 per week – whichever is lowest.

Currently, to suffice for statutory sick pay, a idiosyncratic indispensable person been sick for 3 days successful a row.

There volition besides beryllium changes to rules astir commercialized national designation and the quality of unions to instrumentality concern action.

The authorities is proposing that workers volition person to springiness their employers 10 days' informing of immoderate onslaught enactment – alternatively than the existing 14 days' notice.

Currently, determination tin beryllium a ballot for national designation if 10% of the workforce is simply a subordinate of a union.

The authorities had been consulting connected lowering it to 2% but the projected amendment volition not authorities a fig and volition simply springiness the caput of authorities the powerfulness to little the 10% threshold.

Mr Novak said the changes were astir ''creating a modern system that works for workers and concern alike'' and that driving up standards "will halt bully employers from being undercut by the bad, and volition mean much workers payment from a national voice".

Several concern groups person been captious of the authorities for not providing much item astir however the authorities volition enactment successful practice.

They are improbable to beryllium satisfied by what's successful the amendments.

Craig Beaumont, enforcement manager of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that "anyone hoping to spot authorities instrumentality superior relationship of the concerns of tiny employers looks apt to stay disappointed for the clip being".

He said: "There is simply a immense gulf betwixt the stated aims of this measure and the existent satellite antagonistic interaction connected jobs and growth."