Insecure work holding back economy, unions say

Insecure work is holding back workers and the economy, unions are warning.

The TUC said the Government’s flagship workers’ rights bill will tackle Britain’s insecure work “epidemic”.

The Employment Rights Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, will ban exploitative zero hours contracts by giving workers a right to a contract which reflects their regular hours.

It will also give workers the right to compensation from cancelled shifts.

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Insecure work

On the opening day of the TUC Congress in Brighton, the union body published new analysis which showed that four million people are in insecure work in the UK.

The TUC defines insecure work as those on zero-hours contracts, agency, casual and seasonal workers (but not those on fixed–term contracts) and the low-paid self-employed who miss out on key rights and protections.

The TUC said insecure work “exploded” under the Conservative government, increasing by 800,000 from 2011 to 2024.

The proportion of the wider workforce in insecure work also went up from 10.7% to 11.7% in the same period, said the report.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “This insecure work epidemic isn’t just holding back workers, it’s holding back our economy too.

“When workers don’t have security at work, they tend to earn less, and that means they spend less, too.

“The Tory experiment with low-paid, insecure work has been tested to destruction.

“That’s why the Employment Rights Bill is so badly needed.”

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