ZHCs are the epitome of worker exploitation

OVER the last decade very many workers have had to accept zero-hour contracts (ZHC) and even if employers’ assertions that they offer flexibility rings true in a minority of cases the arrangement is symbolic of an increasingly insecure labour market and shows how the balance of power has swung very much to the employers’ advantage.

Typically, a ZHC demands that a worker be available at all times and at very short notice. They also mean that an offer of work can be withdrawn at short notice. As there is no guarantee about how many hours a worker can expect or when that work might be offered, the domestic planning needed to sustain a stable family environment seem at least precarious if not almost impossible. Essentially, an employee is expected to offer the same flexibility as a machine, to be turned on and off as required and at a moment’s notice.

An Irish version of these contracts is known as an “if and when” deal and 10% of those working in the community care sector are on those contracts. It estimated that 5.3% of employees in Ireland — about 100,000 people — have constantly varying working hours. Most of those offered ZHCs earn the minimum wage — €9.15 an hour — so unless they get something approaching a full week’s work they may be entitled to welfare support which means the public purse is subsidising companies using ZHCs. The inequity and unsustainability of this arrangement was recognised by New Zealand’s parliament in recent days when it voted unanimously to ban the practice.