Personally think the Milliband is a pillock, granted have the same opinion of Cameron & Clegg as well.
However with his accusation that Sports Direct are using Victorian practices for hiring thousands of workers on zero-hours contracts.
(Zero-hours contracts, or casual contracts, do not guarantee regular work for employees. Sick pay is often not included although holiday pay should be, in line with working time regulations)
However Sports Direct are not the only ones, just the ones in the news today.
Who are the others ?
If you/we know who they are, at least we can shop or do business with them or not if we wish, after all anything that hits their 'bottom line' such as falling sales, less business, fewer contracts, etc. might make them reconsider
In 2011, zero-hours contracts were prevalent in many parts of the UK economy:
:arrow: in the hotels and restaurants sector, 19% of all workplaces (up from 4% in 2004)
:arrow: in the health sector, 13% (up from 7%)
:arrow: in the education sector, 10% (up from 1%)
For domiciliary care workers, the incidence was reported to be as high as 55.7% of all workers during the period 2008–12
At the end of April 2014, the Office for National Statistics revised upwards the number of workers on such contracts from 580,000 to , with a further where no hours were worked. Whilst the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), based on a poll of 1,000 workers, reported in August 2013 that as many as 1 million workers in the United Kingdom, 3-4% of the workforce, work under the terms of a zero-hour contract.
:arrow: In August 2013, The Guardian reported that J D Wetherspoon, one of the UK's largest pub chains, has 24,000 staff, or 80% of its workforce, on contracts with no guarantee of work each week. The Guardian. 26 June 2014.
:arrow: 90% of McDonald's workforce in the UK - 82,000 staff members - are employed on a zero-hour contract. According to a McDonald's spokesperson all work is scheduled in advance with no employees being "on call" and meets the needs of workers who desire or need a flexible Guardian. 5 August 2013.
:arrow: Tesco uses zero hours contracts. The New Statesman. 25 April 2014.
:arrow:A major franchise of Subway also uses the contracts, which state, "The company has no duty to provide you with work. Your hours of work are not predetermined and will be notified to you on a weekly basis as soon as is reasonably practicable in advance by your store manager. The company has the right to require you to work varied or extended hours from time to time." Subway workers are also required, as a condition of employment, to waive their rights to limit their workweek to 48 hours. The Guardian. 5 August 2013.
:arrow: Burger King franchisees and Domino's Pizza operations in the UK extensively use zero-hour contracts. The Guardian. 8 August 2013.
:arrow: The Spirit Pub Company has 16,000 staff on zero-hour Guardian. 6 August 2013
:arrow: Boots UK has 4, Guardian. 6 August 2013
:arrow: All non-management staff at Curzon and Everyman cinema chains. The Guardian. 9 August 2013.
:arrow: Cineworld, a leading cinema chain, uses zero-hour contracts for 3,600 people, about 80% of its workforce, and Stephen Wiener, the founder, stated in August 2013 that he will continue using them. The Guardian. 26 June 2014.
:arrow: A Channel 4 documentary broadcast on 1 August 2013 employed secret cameras in Amazon UK's Rugeley warehouse to document worker abuses and claimed that Amazon used "controversial" zero-hour contracts as a tool to reprimand staff, and were "tagging" employees with GPS and subjecting them to harsh working conditions.
Max,
agree for Cameron, Clegg, Farages, and Milliband.
6 months out from a General Election and they are the best to choose from :sad:
will always vote, our history and other countries show how hard the struggle has been to get the vote.
however whilst 3 of the 4 aforementioned have pontificated on Zero Hours contracts, yet to see any of them come forward with any proposals or manifesto promises (not that they matter, hey Nick.....)
sadly with the economy as it is, thank you The City and dunderheads in HMRC et al, as the Landlords are already deciding they won't do tenancies or rentals to those on Zero Hours contracts, whilst the Lenders are quoting 'financial responsibility' and generally not agreeing mortgages for those on Zero Hours contracts, plus reviewing existing mortgages for those on Zero Hours contracts as well, where will this leave a significant proportion of the working age population ?
and they wonder why un-employment figures are down, but tax revenues aren't rising, and the majority of the country aren't seeing the end of the depression, double dip recession
Let's see if Milliband tackles the Labour council's zero contracts. I suspect he is all hot air. There was a Financial Times article recently that suggested zero hour contracts were more prevalent in the public sector.
I agree with you re the other leaders, not a decent politician amongst them. 3 of the 4 have all followed the same career route: Oxbridge, political researcher, political advisor, member of parliament. Only Farage has had a 'real' job.
As much as Labour constantly trot out their mantra of the Tories being out of touch, the reality is that BOTH front benches are out of touch.
How Labour must rue the fact that the unions voted for the wrong Miliband!
I wouldn't mind betting the very same companies that abuse the zero contract hours laws for employee's, are also the very same companies that use the most vibrant of tax avoidance schemes :sad:
Liz/Rob,
looking at the wider picture slightly, whilst also agreeing with Max re the Front Bench, a simple look at Register of Interests and Donations of services (rather than straight cash) and you will see the same Corporate names being mentioned across all Departments of Government and Shadow advisors/'researchers',
Does the name PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) mean anything to you ?
It's one of the big 4 'accountancy' firms that signed off on Banks and other financials that crashed back in 2007/2008.
However looking at their own published accounts and Annual Reports you will also clearly see that they make as much, if not more, from their Consultancy side of the business, particularly political consultancy, Treasury consultancy, HMRC consultancy/revolving door policy of leavers/joiners to HMRC.
Not picking on PWC, as the others are doing the same.
So senior partners rather than earning money for their Companies advising business, are freed up and loaned to, or hired at reduced rates to Front Bench/Shadow politicians.
Now consider that it's these very same Companies accountancy and Tax Advice departments that always seem to have tax 'efficient' (sic) solutions to /for every change in legislation, business rules, tax rules, Budget changes, etc.
Yo might wonder why, but I couldn't possible comment
My experience of zero hour contracts is quite dated. In my late teens I worked for a leading clothing retailer on a zero hours contract. At that time of my life it realy worked for me. I worked as many hours as the full timers most weeks, and was able to pick and choose days when I wouldn't be available to work (Usually those days followed a cracking night out).
When I was in my last month with them I was offered a full time position. But ironically I worked out that I had averaged more income on a zero hours contract than I would have earnt if I had been on the full time contract!
The thing is, though I wouldn't want a zero hour contract these days, there was a time in my life when it suited me and I was happy with the arrangement. There are two sides to every story.
I have two out of three of my children working zero hours contracts one for KFC and one for a small local landscape gardens contractors (workforce of 7) both work fucking hard both want to work set hours and both work for NMW. Zero hours contracts are a load of fucked up shite
