Region a ‘blackspot’ for number on zero hours contracts
The North East is a ‘blackspot’ for the number of people working on zero hours contracts, says the region’s leading union boss.
The TUC says new Office for National Statistics labour market figures show that 3.7per cent of workers in the North East are on one of the controversial contracts, compared to 2.8 per cent for the United Kingdom as a whole.
The figures also show a 0.5 per cent drop nationally in real wages in the three months leading up to June.
TUC Northern Regional Secretary Beth Farhat called on the Goverment to act.
“It is shocking that the North East is a blackspot for zero hours contracts.
“Something needs to be done,” she said.
“People employed on these kind of contracts are mostly on low pay and miss out on things that most of us take for granted, like sick pay.
“The lack of regular hours and income makes it difficult for households to pay bills and take on financial commitments such as rents and mortgages.
“It’s not enough to see employment rates rising.
“If the North East does not create more well-paid jobs with regular hours, we will continue to have a two-tier workforce where many people are stuck in working poverty.”
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady added: “Far too many people are still being treated like disposable labour, stuck on contracts with little security or certainty.
“It’s time for the government to crack down on dodgy employment deals and ban these type of contracts.”
“Rising prices and stagnant pay are a toxic combination for working people.
“This is the fourth month in a row where wages have fallen behind the cost of living.
“Ministers are sitting on their hands as another living standards crisis unfolds.
“It’s time to boost wages by scrapping the pay restrictions in the public sector, investing in infrastructure, and increasing the National Living Wage.”