HUNDREDS of council workers are still facing the uncertainty of zero-hour contracts, new figures have revealed.

In data obtained by the Adver via a Freedom of Information request it was shown that as of August 7 this year, Swindon Borough Council employs 618 workers on the controversial contracts.

This is compared to 2014’s figure of 702 and a marked decrease from the 928 workers on the casual contracts in 2010.

The roles these contracts cover include casual catering assistants, school transport escorts, library assistants, health visitors, park wardens and nursery assistants.

Under the terms of zero-hours contracts, employers can hire staff with no guarantee of work or any contracted hours.

Jim D’Avila, regional officer at trade union Unite said the latest figures show that workers are not being fairly represented in the town.

“Zero hour contracts are an employer initiated plague and they need to be eradicated now,” he said.

I can’t think of a single person that would choose to have zero job security in a contract like this, they should be outlawed, it’s an absolute disgrace that so many people are still in this situation.”

Jim said the council were doing a disservice to the town by retaining so many staff on casual contracts.

“It shows selfishness on the behalf of the employer, they want to save money, not have to give their staff holiday, and there’s no obligation on their part, they’re just cutting costs.

“In the long term a council needs the loyal staff to make their business successful and to service the community. If they are unhappy they won’t be able to service the community in the best way. If they’re cutting costs with their staff, how can they do that.”

But North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson said employees now hold the balance of power when entering into casual work.

“The change in the law which allowed employees to take other jobs meant employees have the power back, that’s why I voted to change the law," he said.

“Students can have those flexible working hours, if we were to stop that then what would we say to those who want flexible hours and can’t commit to a fixed term contract?

“Zero hour contracts aren’t servicing the employers, they’re servicing the employees. If someone wants hours to fit around what they are doing, these contracts allow them to do that."

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said the council’s employee arrangements differed from typical zero-hour contracts.

“The term ’zero hours contract’ has become shorthand for the type of contract where staff are constantly on call and can be required to work at any time without the option of turning that work down, because otherwise they would be at risk of disciplinary action or dismissal,” he said.

“Swindon Borough Council does not operate contracts of this type. All council staff who are on contracts which do not set the number of hours have the option to turn down offers of work with no detriment to them, which means they can also take on other jobs with other employers if they wish.

“The council runs many services with unpredictable or seasonal demands. Our aim is to only use casual contracts where they are appropriate to the role and fair, and they are reviewed periodically.

"There has been a reduction in these contract types in recent years because the council has transferred some activities, such as leisure services, to other providers.”

PANEL

Zero-hour contracts, also known as casual contracts allow the employer to vary the hours of work given to a member of staff, with no contracted hours.

This means workers can only work when employers call them in and can often be called in at short notice.

Under zero-hour contract terms workers are vulnerable to missing out on statutory benefits such as pensions or annual leave. They have no fixed salary with their pay dependent on how many hours they work each week.

The issue of zero-hour contracts has previously provoked ire when some employers limited staff from taking work elsewhere. They were also labelled ‘exploitative’ by former Labour leader Ed Miliband,

Shortly afterwards a provision in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, passed under the coalition government and coming into force in May aimed to ban clauses that allowed employers to block zero-hours employees from taking second jobs.

McDonald's UK chief executive Paul Pomroy hit the headlines this week for claiming that his staff loved the flexibility of zero-hour contracts.