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Work related stress is one thing all union safety reps are fully aware of, and no doubt have to deal with everyday. But what also affects our union members and causes often even more stress, is the loss of a job, through no fault of the individual themselves.
For those looking for work, it is a very stressful time, especially in today’s climate of employers having it all their own way and with such evil and exploitative contracts as the infamous ‘Zero Day Hours’ contract!
It is therefore totally appropriate for union safety reps and the wider trade union movement to fight the existence of such contracts, especially as the Labour Party seem totally unable to do so, or intend to in any meaningful way if and when they get back into government.
Now the Tory-led coalition government has taken one further step in their library of policies which reflect those of Adolph Hitler! Attacking the disabled, workers health and safety law, Trade Unions, the sick, and those needing society’s help in the form of social security, is not enough - now the unemployed are being used as slave labour via the government’s Workfare programme, just as Hitler did; and now the government is threatening to remove unemployment benefit unless the unemployed individual takes a ‘zero hour contract’!
Responding to the government proposals revealed today (Tuesday 6th May) that jobseekers may lose their benefits for three months if they refuse to take zero-hours contract jobs, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
 “The government is blaming unemployed people for losing their jobs, and imposing a regime that looks more and more like punishment rather than real help back to work.
Forcing people into uncertain employment is not the answer to unemployment and may restrict the ability of claimants to seek secure, permanent work. We know that for many workers zero-hours contracts mean zero job security, poor pay and no way of knowing what they’ll be earning from one day to the next.”
She added:
“An increasing number of unemployed people are being penalised for breaking rules unintentionally and are facing life with no benefits for months as a result. We’ve already seen cases of people losing benefits because they missed a meeting to go to the funeral of a close relative – under these proposals jobseekers are likely to be penalised for refusing a shift because they have a job interview.
With new plans under the ‘Help to Work’ scheme potentially meaning jobseekers will have to undertake community work alongside convicted offenders, the government is punishing people for being unemployed when they are the real victims here.”
Such an act shows the depth of hatred this government has for working people, their pay, terms and conditions and rights; and proves that far from being against zero hour contracts, they totally condone and support their use.
If this goes ahead, there is a real danger that zero hour contracts will become the norm amongst the working population as a whole!
Source: TUC / Unionsafety
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