Low Pay: Resolution Foundation Report

Baroness Hollis of Heigham Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ashton of Hyde]

I am not in a position to answer that but I will write to my noble friend.

[Baroness Hollis of Heigham (Lab)]

My Lords, in his Answer the noble Lord commented that the Government had ensured for people the security of a weekly wage. How does he ally that with the growth in zero-hours contracts, when more than 1.5 million people do not know on Friday what hours—and, therefore, what earnings—they will get on Monday?

[Lord Ashton of Hyde]

We have looked at the position of zero-hours contracts. We think that all workers, regardless of the type of contract they have, are entitled to core rights. We think that the flexibility offered by zero-hours contracts will suit some workers. Interestingly, the research from the CIPD found that those on zero-hours contracts say that they are equally satisfied with their job, but we are going to deal with some criticisms and problems with zero-hours contracts, such as exclusivity clauses and lack of transparency. That will be dealt with very soon in the business Bill.