Zero Hours Contracts - Here To Stay!

Following the outcome of the General Election on 7 May 2015, we now have a clearer idea of how far the use of zero hours contracts is likely to be regulated in the UK.

What are they?

Under a zero hours contract, the employer does not guarantee to provide the worker with any work and pays the worker only for work actually carried out. An employer expects a worker to be available for work when or if called on. A zero hours contract can also describe an arrangement where the worker is free to accept or refuse work when it is offered, which implies more bargaining power on the employee's side.

The first legal definition has appeared in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.  The purpose of it appearing in the Act is to deal with a proposed ban on exclusivity clauses - see below. The Act defines a zero hours contract as a contract of employment or other worker's contract under which a worker undertakes to perform work conditionally on the