Labour leader targets zero-hour contracts

The Labour Party leader says he would look into ensuring all workers have minimum hours of work in an effort to end zero-hour contracts.

Unions say the use of the contracts, which guarantee workers no hours, is increasing in New Zealand, particularly in fast food, retail and call centres.

Speaking at the Unite fast food workers’ union conference, the Labour leader Andrew Little says the idea that workers sign up to a contract that requires them to be available, with no reciprocal guarantee of hours, is unacceptable.

He says the Labour Party would look at standards in employment agreements, to ensure a definition of the minimum hours of work.

He says businesses are good at talking about certainty for themselves but workers need that certainty too.Mr Little says the Government’s track record in employment relations legislation has been to take things off workers, and the Labour Party wants to have a positive discussion with employers, unions, and workers.

The Wireless senior producer Megan Whelan is at the Unite union conference and will have more on zero-hour contracts on the site later this week.