Zero Hours Contracts

Look at Newsnight the other day, there was an article about "zero hours" working contracts.

For those not aware, zero hours means just that, you may end up with zero hours one week, perhaps more hours the next week.

People in the report were texted if they had hours that day (yes that day) with a smily, so for example "you got the day off today :)" or "we have some work needing to be done this afternoon:D"

The minister said "zero hours" was a sign of a dynamic workforce, a good choice of words.

But look more closely, who are these dynamic people? looking at the report many of the "dynamic" looked like the sort of people at the bottom end of the workforce, people who would certainly lose out of they took these jobs (child care, working tax credits lost/or needing to be repaid"

So yet again, the most vunerable in our society appear to be getting rebranded, the most dynamic people in our society are most likely to end up on this type of working contract. Perhaps another good way to target the vunerable?

If people took these jobs they'd be likely to lose out due to the benefit system. If they simplified benefits & allowed people to still claim while doing these kind of jobs it'd be better.

It should be better to have a job than not have one, no matter how few hours or irregular it is.

Look at Newsnight the other day, there was an article about "zero hours" working contracts.

 

For those not aware, zero hours means just that, you may end up with zero hours one week, perhaps more hours the next week.

 

People in the report were texted if they had hours that day (yes that day) with a smily, so for example "you got the day off today :)" or "we have some work needing to be done this afternoon:D"

 

The minister said "zero hours" was a sign of a dynamic workforce, a good choice of words.

 

But look more closely, who are these dynamic people? looking at the report many of the "dynamic" looked like the sort of people at the bottom end of the workforce, people who would certainly lose out of they took these jobs (child care, working tax credits lost/or needing to be repaid"

 

So yet again, the most vunerable in our society appear to be getting rebranded, the most dynamic people in our society are most likely to end up on this type of working contract. Perhaps another good way to target the vunerable?

I saw that on Newsnight Andy, it did raise a number of issues. One of which was highlighted by the programme's buisness editor. He said (someething along the lines of) longterm a growth in these kinds of jobs wouldn't particularly be beneficial to the economy. Perhaps because in industries where these contracts might be common add little value to the wider economy.

It's a fair point that those at the bottom end of the slagheap will be targetted for this king of contract no golden handshakes, no employment rights, no nothing.

No doubt some ignoramus politician will describe the intoduction of these contracts as "radical". They're nothing of the kind - 'reactionary' is a better description as such contracts were common in the earlier part of the last century.

Surely they're just typical Agency Employee contracts? No Agency worker expects guaranteed fixed hours of work or any at all.

Surely they're just typical Agency Employee contracts? No Agency worker expects guaranteed fixed hours of work or any at all.

I work for an agency for my second job, and I'm guaranteed a 6 hours per week for 8 months of the year.

I work for an agency for my second job, and I'm guaranteed a 6 hours per week for 8 months of the year.

(Emphasis added)

And that's usual in your particular sphere of activity?

Who are the most vulnerable these days, when pensions have been raided, wages frozen, prices of all essentials needs with a trajectory going slowly through the roof. Its the great impoverishment of the middle classes, and sod the underclass, they can return to living in the ditches their forefathers crawled out of a few hundred years ago.

In the post Thatcher world where everyone looks after No1 first, divide and rule is the game the peasants are being encouraged to play. By making them fight each other, some blaming others for laziness, the old for being unproductive, and all the other parasites that need to be dealt with. Of course you know that inflation is the game, followed possibly by hyper inflation where most will hopefully be financially wiped out. When the banks call in their debts, then many homes will sadly be no more, and property prices now just slightly falling will of course plummet, into the rental market, where exploitation will be the name of the game.

Hoping to get your 85K the government promised, well tell me how a bankrupt nation can pay such debts. Look at PPI, Equitable life and the other bank scams, it takes decades, so hopefully some if not many will be suicides, saving the country the bother.

The wonder of this new game is things are very slow with overnight changes, then back to the snails pace, like watching the water slowly rising and hoping it will not flood your home. Think individually, you, your family and sod the rest, that is the idea Thatcher germinated. Its when the S**t hits the fan one see's selfishness. When is it kick a cripple week? Or is that the unemployed, single mums, the old, the ill? Must be soon!

I suppose it suits some people, but I just dont see how you could constuct a proper life with that carry on, when you literally dont know what hours you're working, or how many, from one day to the next, your social, home/family life will be very disfunctional, and as for getting a loan or credit, forget it.

(Emphasis added)

And that's usual in your particular sphere of activity?

Not especially, but it's not unheard of.

Was this minister referring to the amount of time he has had live in the real world himself when he said zero hours?

Who said this?

Was this minister referring to the amount of time he has had live in the real world himself when he said zero hours?

 

Who said this?

It's all well and good for a Government Cabinet Minister who receives a salary of £134,565, a car and driver plus expenses (we all know how they are fiddled] and of course the best final salary pension scheme in the land to praise a scheme that offers a zero hours working contract to some of the millions of surfs who are out of work.

You just could not make it up.

Angel.

I suppose it suits some people, but I just see how you could constuct a proper life with that carry on, when you literally dont know what hours you're working, or how many, from one day to the next, your social, home/family life will be very disfunctional, and as for getting a loan or credit, forget it.

The way they are designed simply turns people into disposable resources to be used and discarded as businesses see fit. The lives of the people on these contracts are of no consequence to the employer, plenty more worker drones where they came from.