Zero Hour Contract

 Zero Hour Contract is a contract where the employer does not have to provide regular work for the workers, but workers have to be on call in case they need to work.

Table of Contents

Zero Hour Contract

What is a Zero Hour Contract Meaning?

What is a zero hour contract meaning? the 0 hour contract meaning is that it is a type of contract nothing but an agreement stating that a given employer is not obliged to provide a worker with a minimum number of hours. These types of contracts are also known as casual contracts.

For employers, the zero-hour contract is nothing more than a saving of money. Industrial businesses are not obliged to provide many benefits that it offers full-time employees and they can increase or decrease the size of the workforce of employees very quickly to meet their demands. 

For the employees, 0 hour contract is nothing that can offer greater flexibility ideally and life balance. In this theory, they need only to accept work that they want and can at least some extent, arrange their time as they wish.

But, more than 30% of these workers on 0 hour contracts report that they are not getting enough work to meet their basic needs. As a result, they have many contracts with multiple employers simultaneously.

Definition of Zero Hour Contract

Zero hour contract is defined as a type of contract between an employer and an employee according to which the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum hours of working and the workers are not obliged to accept the work offered to them. Zero hour contract is a term primarily used in the United Kingdom.

In the year of 2015, employers in the United Kingdom were prohibited from offering the zero hour contract and the zero hour contract prevented the employees from working also for another employer at the same time. But, in 2017, the United Kingdom office for National Statistics estimated that there are over 9,00,000 workers.

Zero hour contract rights

Zero hour contract rights of the employees should be mentioned in the zero hour contract.  Zero hour contract employee rights in the contract should mention the job title and position for which the zero hour contract employee is being hired.

Similarly, the contract should define the duties and responsibilities of the employee in no uncertain terms. The normal working days and hours pertaining to the zero hour employee must be mentioned in the contract

Terminating Zero Hour Contract

Terminating zero hour contract is the mandatory clause in the 0 hour contract. The terms and conditions on the grounds on which the employee can be terminated should be clearly mentioned in the zero hour contract. Terminating zero hour contracts comes under the purview of several employment laws in India which specify that zero hour workers also have the right to protect themselves from unfair trade practices and dismissal of employees from the work.

Conclusion

Zero Hour Contract is a contract where the employer does not have to provide regular work for the workers, but workers have to be on call in case they need to work. zero hours contracts are increasingly ordinary in the enduring trend of what’s being called the gig economy. The study of the trend predicted that by 2020, 40% of the American workforce will be independent contractors.