Inquiry on ‘zero hour’ deals

The Government will launch an investigation into the growing use of “zero hour” contracts by companies.

It was claimed the controversial employment practice was akin to an era when “Irish navvies were being told to stand on a corner” in London and wait for work.

Minister of state for business and employment Ged Nash confirmed the move during a Dáil debate on employment creation yesterday.

Responding to Fianna Fáil jobs spokesman Dara Calleary, Mr Nash said his department has commissioned the University of Limerick to examine the issue.

The Labour TD said the investigation into zero hour contracts — an agreement whereby an employer is not obliged to give a worker a minimum number of hours — will take a number of months and will also include an examination of “low contract” work. This second issue involves contracts of less than eight hours a week.

At least 32,000 people have these conditions in the North, as well as a further 1.8m in Britain.

Mr Calleary said it is obvious “some companies are abusing” zero contracts, and likened their use to “Irish navvies being told to stand at a corner” in London to wait for someone to pick them up for construction work.

The same Dáil debate also saw Jobs Minister Richard Bruton reject persistent claims from Independent TD for Tipperary South Seamus Healy that his county has been left out of job creation.

The Workers and Unemployed Action Group member repeatedly told Mr Bruton the Government’s €250m five-year jobs strategy will do little for the area, and noted out of 15,021 IDA Ireland jobs created last year just 61 were in Tipperary.