There has been much debate about zero hours contracts over the last few months, with the issue being discussed in both the Scottish and UK parliaments. There has been much debate about zero hours contracts over the last few months, with the issue being discussed in both the Scottish and UK parliaments.
Just before Christmas, Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, launched a consultation document on the use of these contracts and Noele McClelland, accredited specialist in employment law and a partner in Thorntons employment team, believes it’s important for employers to read and understand the issues surrounding such contracts.
She said: “Simply put, a zero hours contract is an agreement which there is no guarantee of work and where the individual does not have to accept an offer of work.
“Whether the individual is an employee or not can vary. In some situations the individual will be self-employed, while in others the individual may be an employee having full employment rights, such as the right to claim unfair dismissal or they may fall somewhere in between having certain limited employment rights as a worker.
“The difficulty is that it can often be unclear to the individual and the business which will apply.