Zero Hours Contracts

[SS4]

They are very dodgy and should be outlawed. The power is entirely with the employer, and they are becoming more and more widespread in use. How you can get a mortgage deal with one, god only knows, or even rent, because there is no guaranteed wage.

If the Coalition wants to know why the economy is not growing, this sort of instability and lack of security for the workforce is one reason.

If you upset your employers for any reason whatsoever (say turn down work, go sick, disagree with them for some reason) most of the time you will simply not be rostered. You would be effectively out of work. Essentially they can fire at will, or reduce your hours at any time to suit them.

Exactly, but then transferring power from employees to employers has been a favourite of the Tories for decades if not centuries.
Surely more jobs would be created if the 48 hour week exemption was revoked?

 

[Ferret]

Metroland, it's funny you should mention that you would like to see zero-hour contracts outlawed. Keep your eyes peeled for the proverbial hitting the fan so far as the railway is concerned with such contracts now that the RAIB have got involved in a certain incident at Stafford.

 

[Pumbaa]

Ha! The odd job DCR man incident yes?

**** has been well and truly hitting the fan for a while now over that, at least one other member of the forum will confirm that.

 

[Ferret]

Yes Pumbaa. There are several existing railwaymen who are positively fuming about that. I have to wonder how much of a coincidence it was that a certain chap queried on a public forum exactly what it took for the RAIB to get involved in something, only for them to do so soon after.

 

[Butts]

Exactly, but then transferring power from employees to employers has been a favourite of the Tories for decades if not centuries.
Surely more jobs would be created if the 48 hour week exemption was revoked?

The Working Time Directive was implemented by a LABOUR Government and allowed the Security Industry to opt out of most of it's provisions including being able to work more than 48 hours.

The effect of this was to force down pay rates which would have had to rise if the 48 hours had been mandatory.

 

[Pumbaa]

Yes Pumbaa. There are several existing railwaymen who are positively fuming about that. I have to wonder how much of a coincidence it was that a certain chap queried on a public forum exactly what it took for the RAIB to get involved in something, only for them to do so soon after.

No doubt.

Allegedly RAIB were aware of it as soon as it happened, but couldn't 'formally' investigate due to the absence of paperwork. Their remit allows them to investigate only incidents and persons (long lengthy description...of what actually constitutes railway operational matters) but due to the nature of the, err, employment and status of the person invoked, several forms and dusty manuals had to be found first.

And that coincidence of timing was also duly noted by myself

 

[GB]

RAIB - Although this SPAD incident was included in general information provided by the railway industry, it was not until September 2012 that the RAIB was notified of the full circumstances leading up to the SPAD. By this time the incident had already been the subject of an investigation by an experienced railway professional on behalf of British American Railway Services.

This suggests allthough they were made aware of the SPAD, thy were not made aware of the full circumstances around it untill much later. Hence the lack of investigation up untill now.

 

[Pumbaa]

Gotcha. Just office gossip then