Trade Unions pressure Labour over zero-hours workers

The Trades Union Congress said one in 12 zero-hours worker has been with their current employer for more than a decade, while almost half have been in the same job for more than two years

Trade unions are pressing on the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, not to withdraw Labour’s workers’ rights package. They further warned the UK PM that thousands of zero-hours workers are stuck under current rules.

According to the Trades Union Congress, one in 12 workers has been employed with their current employer for more than a decade. Calling it “a nightmare for families”, the TUC emphasized the need for Labour’s Employment Rights Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in October, but is not expected to become law until 2026.

The bill seeks to crack down on insecure work, including a ban on what it calls exploitative zero-hours contracts (casual contracts). Under such a contract, employers do not guarantee a minimum number of hours for employees.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has been pressuring the UK over the union reform and workers’ rights package in the employment bill, claiming it would undermine economic growth. The TUC argues that the employment rights bill will “deliver the economic reset working people desperately need.”

“Zero-hours contracts give bosses almost total control of workers’ earning power and hours, making it a nightmare for families to plan budgets and childcare. As we have seen with recent scandals, these precarious contracts make it far too easy for managers to bully and harass staff frightened about losing shifts,” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said. “I would challenge any boss to try and survive for a few months on a zero-hours contract, not knowing from week to week how much work they will have – let alone a decade.”

According to the TUC, more than a million people are working on a zero-hours contract basis, with about 720,000 workers having been with their current employer for over a year, based on ONS labor force data. Around 130,000 people were still retained on zero-hours contracts after 10 years with the same employer, it was found.

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