NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Brian McBride, has welcomed the government’s consultation into ‘zero hours contracts’.
“This is a timely look into how these contracts operate”, Brian explained. “It is encouraging that banning zero hours contracts entirely has been ruled out from the start. They can offer flexibility which suits workers’ lifestyles, whether it be students or those with families, and there’s absolutely no doubt that they can provide a route into jobs for the unemployed.”
“There are issues to be addressed, for example when people are prevented by their contract from taking other work, so the likelihood is that zero hours contracts will be regulated to make them better for employees and employers. However much of the outright opposition to these arrangements comes from people who think that employers are always out to exploit their workers. That attitude is populist, anti-business, anti-jobs nonsense.”
“I would encourage Northern Irish employees and employers to respond to this consultation, so that we can get zero hours contracts to work better for everyone.”