Zero-hours contracts. Are we, the consumers, partly to blame?

[looney]

Out of interest are any posters actually on a zero-hours contract? And how old are you? I can imagine if you're a youth flitting around maybe it has little impact but what if you're older and the bread-winner maybe it's quite stressful?

Zero hour contracts are not the worse ones out there. temp contracts with penalty clauses in. ie if you miss a day of the contract your pay gets cut. So if your sick on the zero hour contract you get nothing(or do you? sick pay?). A days sickness on a temp contract and you get fined.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I think its not the consumers but the bosses and shareholders and the general cost cutting and race to the bottom culture these days. You only have to see the gap in wealth between rich and poor and how it is dramatically widening. Why pay someone a decent wage or have any responsibility of employment when you can employ on zero ours? Its just depressing.

 

[Camicus]

The security industry is awash with zero hours contracts. Complain about anything you get no hours. Its used as a form of control all these privately run prisons are on zero hours contracts. CCTV operators and control are all private and on zero hour contract. Nothing to do with peaks and troughs in demand just another way of companies to treat their staff like shite

 

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

This is an interesting point. I'm looking to buy over here and the rates I'm being quoted are 1.8-1.9% for a 15 year fix. Why are they so high in the UK? This is a genuine question and not a wouldn't happen in Germany quip. Can any experts explain why there is such a huge difference?

The difference is the result of the Long Term Interest Rates between the 2 countries.
Remember, your borrowing 15-year money not cash-at-call.
UK 10-Year Bond rates are almost triple the German 10-year rates and would most likely widen even more the further you go out.
059% vs 1.52% (basis Dec 2014)


Long-term interest rate statistics for EU Member States

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/money/long/html/index.en.html

 

[smileyweb]

Brighton have over 700 casual staff, with most (if not all) on zero-hours contracts. Not just match day stewards...

 

[pastafarian]

go on then. Explain.

i am taking this from a personal perspective and not an overall judgement so please bear that in mind.

i have worked in the hospitality industry all my life.The last 20 years have seen significant changes in many aspects of employment law,maternity leave,paternity leave,contracts of employment,minimum wage,holiday pay,sick pay,legislation for dismissal,health and safety requirements,risk assessments etc etc etc.

These are not necessarily bad things.But none the less they have been implemented on businesses mostly through lobbying from unions to the government of the day and to legislators in the EU

The natural progression of this legislation is the zero hour contract.I dont agree with them across the employment board.It makes not justifiable sense to employ someone in a call centre and put them on zero hour contracts.It does make sense though to allow this in seasonal occupations like hospitality.

Consumers are not the cause of zero hour contracts at all,all they have demanded is a fair price for the product.The legislation implemented on business is the direct cause of these contracts.The Unions were far more instrumental than consumers in the legislation being implemented so i stand by my original comment "i blame the unions more than consumers"

cue extra thumbs down