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ARTICLE · 25 JUNE 2015

Zero Hours Contracts – The Ban On Exclusivity Clauses

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Employers are now prevented from prohibiting a worker on a zero-hours contract from also working elsewhere. This change was brought into force on 26th May 2015.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
David Israel
David Israel

Employers are now prevented from prohibiting a worker on a zero-hours contract from also working elsewhere. This change was brought into force on 26th May 2015

A zero-hours contract is a contract whereby an employer does not guarantee to provide a worker with any work, and only pays a worker for work actually done.   Historically, some of these types of contract also contained an 'exclusivity' clause.   The new law will make exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts unenforceable, but will not render the entire contract unenforceable (so you don't have to rip up the contract and start again).

This is unlikely to be the end of the regulation of zero-hours contracts. The ban does not prevent employers from guaranteeing only a couple of hours' work per week or penalising workers who have jobs elsewhere, ie. offering those workers less work.  Following a consultation earlier this year, the Government said it would introduce new anti-avoidance regulations to protect

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