Protection for zero hour contract workers

Louise Walker
Legal Director
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The Exclusivity Terms in Zero Hours Contracts (Redress) Regulations 2015 (‘the Regulations’) came into force on 11 January 2016. These Regulations offer protection for zero hour contract workers against detriment and dismissal in particular circumstances.

The Regulations provide that:

• From day one of their employment, the dismissal of an employee who works under a zero hours contract will be unfair if the principal reason for the dismissal is that they breached a provision of their zero hours contract which sought to prohibit them from working for another employer.
• A worker who works under a zero hours contract has the right not to be subjected to any detriment if they work for another employer, in breach of any clause that may have sought to prohibit them from doing so.

The Regulations are available online at:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111139950/contents