Zero-hours contracts: ministers’ detailed plans for ban criticised by firms and unions

Unions said they were disappointed that the government was backing the right to guarantee no more than 20 hours a week. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Unions said they were disappointed that the government was backing the right to guarantee no more than 20 hours a week. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock Zero-hours contracts: ministers’ detailed plans for ban criticised by firms and unions UK government says it would prefer workers to be guaranteed between eight and 20 hours a week based on regular hours Business live – latest updates Ministers are facing criticism from unions and employers after laying out details of plans for a guaranteed regular working week as part of a ban on zero-hours contracts . Under rules poised to come into force next year, employers will have to offer staff, including agency workers, a contract that guarantees a minimum number of hours each week based on their regular working hours. In a consultation on how to implement the zero-hours ban, launched on Tuesday, the government said its preference was that workers would be guaranteed between eight and 20 hours a week. Next boss warns over ‘dramatic fall’ in UK entry-level jobs Read more Businesses should determine a worker’s regular hours over a 12-week reference period under the government’s preferred option. It will be possible for workers to choose to be a zero-hours contract but they will be eligible for compensation if their shifts are changed at short notice. More than 1 million people in the UK are working on a zero-hours contract basis – where a worker is not guaranteed a minimum number of working hours – in areas ranging from working in pubs and restaurants to warehouses and hospitals. The changes are part of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, which came into law late last year. The package of workers rights faced significant opposition from the Conservatives and business groups. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said: “It’s not right that people can work regular hours but still have no certainty about their pay from week to week. These vital changes will mean more certainty for millions of people and will save the lowest paid workers hundreds of pounds. “We’re consulting because we need to get the detail right to ensure these reforms work in practice and guard against unintended consequences from this major change to the labour market.” Unions said they were disappointed that the government was backing the right to guarantee no more than 20 hours a week – which could be less than half the regular working hours of some currently on zero-hours contracts. Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “It is deeply disappointing that the government is intending to not give all workers the right to a guaranteed hours contract, despite that being the very clear manifesto commitment. “Many of our members are employed on short-hours contracts, routinely working significantly more hours than they ar