Zero-hours contracts used to silence exploited workers, ACAS says

07 July 2017

The practice of “zeroing down” workers on zero-hour contracts who raise concerns is used in some workplaces to discourage people from enforcing employment law.

This is according to new evidence published by ACAS, which was originally submitted to the government’s Taylor Review.

Other issues ACAS noted through an analysis of its helpline calls were shift workers being unsure whether or not they had been dismissed because they had been left off rotas; job offers that “dried up” after workers became pregnant or ill; uncertainty over entitlements to pay when on call or while travelling as part of the job; and construction, hairdressing and cleaning professionals told to become self-employed so that employers could avoid sick, holiday and maternity pay.

The report also pointed out that workers were unable to access unemployment benefits where there was uncertainty over whether or not they had been dismissed.

“Our helpline analysis revealed that many callers were in a zero hours, agency or self-employed arrangement out of necessity rather than by choice with some people feeling taken advantage of and unfairly excluded from employment rights,” ACAS Chair Sir Brendan Barber said.