Should zero-hour contracts be banned - vote in our poll

18 April 2023 , 12:48

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Angela Rayner has made the promise as part of Labour’s 'new deal for working people' (Image: Getty Images)

Zero-hour contracts will be scrapped if Labour wins the next general election, their deputy leader has pledged - and we want to know what YOU think.

Angela Rayner has made the promise as part of Labour’s “new deal for working people” if Sir Keir Starmer enters No10 after the next general election. This comes as the number of zero-hour contracts have rocketed in Scotland over the past 10 years, increasing from around 46,000 in 2013 to about 94,000 last year.

The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne highlighted that around one in 10 young working people in Scotland are now on zero-hours contracts. She added that zero-hours working practices “go hand-in-hand with low pay” and working women are “disproportionately affected by the scourge of insecure work”.

Meanwhile, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a 99 percent rise in over-50s working on zero-hours contracts between 2013 and 2022.

Stuart Lewis, chief executive of Rest Less, said that these statistics were “worrying”, adding: “While the flexibility they offer is a good fit for some, we know of many individuals who have turned to zero-hours contracts as they have been unable to find a more permanent or structured type of work because of age discrimination or a lack of workplace flexibility.”

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Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, explained that zero-hours contracts can work in certain circumstances, but it’s “totally different situation if you need to work to earn money and a zero-hours contract is all you can get.”

Ahead of her address to the STUC conference in Dundee, Ms Rayner said: “While the Tories and the SNP have failed to deliver the crackdown they promised, the next Labour government will ban zero-hours contracts, safeguard rights at work and raise standards for all.

“With our New Deal for Working People, Labour has a plan to ensure people have access to fair and secure work. Labour will make Scotland work for working people.”

Do you think zero hour contracts should be banned? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

The Mirror will also be discussing the topic with you in the comments section below and you can join in! All you have to do is sign up, submit your comment, register your details and then you can take part.

Freya Hodgson