News / News Wire
End zero-hours contracts in Bristol, says MP
New Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire has called on every business in the city to ensure they are not “exploiting” their staff through zero-hour contracts.
In just her second speech to the House of Commons she said businesses need to treat employees with respect to boost their productivity and help the economy grow.
“Yesterday I called on the government to do everything in their power to stop the practice of exploitative zero hours contracts,” she told the house during a debate on productivity.
is needed now More than ever
“I call on every business in Bristol to act as other Bristol businesses do and stop exploiting their staff with zero-hours contracts,” the Labour MP added.
The Government has already banned ‘exclusivity clauses’ – which restrict employees looking for work elsewhere – in zero-hours contracts.
But Debbonaire said she wants the practice of zero-hour contracts eradicated as they were wrong on a moral and economic level. “I’ve met too many people across Bristol West who have told me about life on zero hours contracts and it’s truly heartbreaking,” she said.
She added: “There are some great employers in Bristol who pay good wages, treat their staff well and invest in their skills.
“This benefits the employee, the employer and the local economy. It’s also good for the tax-payer as they are less likely to need benefits to top up low incomes.
“These businesses know that it’s worth treating their employees with respect. But sadly there are businesses who don’t seem to realise the consequences of keeping staff in such poor employment conditions.”
Between October and December last year, the Office for National Statistics found that 697,000 people were employed on zero-hours contracts for their main job. At the time, it represented 2.3 per cent of the country’s workforce.
The figure was a rise of about 100,000 from the previous year. The number of contracts that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours also rose by 400,000 to 1.8 million.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
