The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to to the latest announcements from the Government on the Employment Rights Bill. Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, commented:

“We are now approaching crunch time for the Government's Employment Rights Bill as it reaches report stage in Parliament. News this morning that the proposed ban of exploitative zero-hours contracts will include agency workers suggests Government intends to resist pressure to dilute reforms. Currently, over a million workers face unpredictable hours due to these contracts, undermining their financial stability and health. This reform will help ensure workers – especially those aged 16-24 who are 5.9 times more likely to be on zero-hour contracts than older workers – enter a labour market where good jobs offer both security and flexibility.

“At a time of record sickness levels, worker shortages and rising numbers of young people out of work or education, improving job quality is essential. We cannot afford a system that traps people in precarious jobs or pushes them out of work altogether, and so it's vital that the Government sticks to its guns and delivers on its ambition for the Employment Rights Bill in the weeks and months ahead.”