Legislation preventing employers from using exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts became law from Tuesday 26 May 2015.
The legislation makes clauses in contracts of employment that prohibit workers on zero hours’ contracts from carrying out work for another employer unenforceable. The act, which had been in the news during the recent election campaign, means that any clause in a zero hours contract prohibiting a worker from working elsewhere, or stops them from doing so without the employer’s consent, is now unenforceable.
Zero hours contracts refer to employee contracts that do not define any set hours an individual will be required to work for the employer, and there is no obligation for the employee to accept any hours that are given. There is, as yet, no indication from the Government regarding any measures that will be taken against firms who fail to comply with this legislation. The changes to the Act, and some further reading, can be accessed here.
By GCMA
