A NORTHSIDE TD has called for stronger legislation to be brought forward to regulate zero hour contracts or failing this, to abolish them.
A zero hours contract does not include a set amount of working hours for an employee. Instead it allows an employer to vary the amount of hours of work allocated and the times at which an employee may be asked to work.
Deputy Tommy Broughan raised the matter with Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, in the Dail.
“The practice of using zero hours contracts has been particularly prevalent in some sectors, including the fast food industry, the retail sector and home care services,
? said Deputy BrougÂhan.
“It has been criticised by many groups, including trade unions and has been subject to debate in many countries.
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Deputy Broughan previously asked Minister Bruton, via a parliamentary question, to provide details on the number of employees on zero hours contracts and if he would legislate to protect employees subject to such contracts.
“Employees have no choice but to accept zero hours contracts and often work their hours effectively at the whim of an employer in a bonded labour situation,
? he argued.
“While it is often maintained that zero hours contracts provide flexibility for employers, they often leave employees in a very precarious situation making it difficult to plan for the future.
“I would urge the Minister (Bruton) to introduce a proper review of the use of zero hours contracts in consultation with his colleague, Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton.
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Separately, Deputy BrougÂhan has asked the Taoiseach if he would request the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to collect statistics on zero hours contracts.
Minister Bruton said zero hour contracts were matters of contacts law.
“They must be entered into freely by the employer and employee and they cannot be forced on an employee,
? he stated.
“While the Central Statistics Office does not collect data on zero hours contracts, this does not mean that there is no information available regarding zero hours contracts in Ireland.
“The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), which comes within the remit of my Department, has a team of inspectors who enter workplaces on a daily basis.
“NERA also has an information service which provides information in response to queries from employees and employers on issues of concern.
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Minister Bruton said his officials were in regular contact with NERA with a view to ascertaining emerging issues that may need to be addressed from a policy perspective.
“Zero hours contracts have not arisen as an issue in this context,
? he stated.
“In Ireland, the zero-hours protection set out in Section 18 of the Organisation of Working Time (OWT) Act covers situations where, for example, an employee is sent home if things are quiet or is requested to be available for work and is not, on the day, asked to work.
“Where an employee suffers a loss by not working hours he/she was requested to work or to be available to work, the zero hours provisions of the Act ensure that he/she is compensated for 25 per cent of the time which he/she is required to be available, or 15 hours, whichever is the lesser.
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Minister Bruton added:
“Of course, the level of compensation available under Section 18 of the OWT Act may be impacted if the employee got some work.
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