An Aberdeen hospitality chief has said the UK government crackdown on zero-hour contracts will help weed out rogue employers.
Allan Henderson, head of McGinty’s Group, says of his 250 staff, just a few have used zero-hour contracts and that has been at their request.
The plan to torpedo ‘exploitative zero-hours contracts’ is one of Labour’s flagship policies.
More than one million people in the UK are on a zero-hour contract, which mean employees are ‘on call’ for work and can be dismissed without notice.
Allan’s award-winning hospitality group is behind some of Aberdeen’s most popular venues, such as The Grill, The Silver Darling, and Under The Hammer.
One-sided flexibility?
He said: “Undoubtedly to get rid of the rogue employers who have been using zero-hour contracts to the detriment of their staff, I’m absolutely all for stopping that.
“I have no issue there.
“If you are a responsible employer, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
McGinty’s Group has also been chosen as preferred operator for the city’s £75 million revamped Aberdeen Market, which is currently under construction.
McGinty’s boss on ‘exploitative’ zero-hour contracts ban
Under proposed reforms in its Employment Rights Bill, currently at committee stage in parliament, government is addressing “one-sided flexibility” by banning exploitative zero hours contracts.
This includes introducing rights to:
· Guaranteed hours
· Reasonable notice of shifts
· Compensation for short-notice cancellation of shifts
· Day one protection from unfair dismissal
Nonetheless, Allan says government should be wary of wrapping businesses up in red tape with their alternatives.
He said: “They can give an element of flexibility that works.
“For example, people from Aberdeen who are at university outwith Aberdeen, when they come back for three or four weeks at Christmas, and they want to earn a few quid.
“They are not on our regular payroll, but if they want to get a few hours over that period we can do that.
“I have people who have worked with me for years, they’ve done their service and are happily retired.
“But they wouldn’t mind keeping their hand in and coming back for a few days over the course of the year.
“In my experience those who want the zero-hour contracts, it’s to suit them.”
No security for workers
Artist and carer Clive Ramage is on a zero-hour contract. He says there is very little upside for workers and welcomes the law change.
“I’m a full-time artist with a relatively good income from my art sales, but there’s no real long-term financial security there and it is almost impossible to get a mortgage,” he said.
“I took on part-time care work to balance this, but there’s still no job security, or sick pay because it’s zero hours.
“Hours can be changed or cut without notice, entirely at the whim of an employer.
“You can be employed today and unemployed tomorrow with no employment rights whatsoever.”
Better contracts attract better staff
Improving worker rights, especially in the care industry, will help attract better quality staff, says Clive.
“No security equals no staff commitment or loyalty to an employer,” he added.
“Zero-hour contracts don’t encourage the best people to apply for specific jobs (like care work) where it’s important to have the right people in those roles.”
Conversation