The Living Wage Foundation has recently set up a new Living Hours programme for the employers within the FTSE100, to improve job security for zero hour contract workers and allow any of the employers who sign up to receive a special accreditation.
In order to qualify and sign up to the new Living Wage programme, the company must ensure they comply with the following points:
1. Pay the Living Wage to each individual
2. Give at least four weeks’ notice of any working time
3. Offer a guarantee of at least 16 hours of work per week to each individual; and
4. Issue a contract that accurately reflects the number of hours worked
If the employer complies with all of the necessary points, they will then receive the Living Wage and Living Hours accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.
Commitments to the programme have already been made by a variety of employers, including larger businesses such as Richer Sounds, SSE Renewables and Standard Life Aberdeen, suggesting that some of the larger company’s believe this accreditation may increase reputation to potential new employees.
The Living Wage Foundation has confirmed that they are implementing the scheme in hope to tackle any job insecurity that surrounds zero hour contracts. Research has shown that one in six workers are in insecure, low paid work, with millions facing cancelled shifts and a lack of stable hours and more than 5 million workers in the UK alone feel insecure within their jobs.
The uncertainty with zero hour contracts whereby individuals do not know the number of hours they will be able to work and the timing of shifts that will be put to them, may put workers under significant pressure.
The director of the Living Wage Foundation has commented the following statement about the scheme, ‘We’ve consulted with hundreds of workers, employers and trade unions in drawing up these measures to ensure they are ambitious but achievable. We believe Living Hours will provide an important new measure to fight in-work poverty and to provide workers and their families with stability and security.”
For further information around zero hours contracts and any rights you may have in your employment, please contact our employment law specialists.
