Could you live on a zero-hours contract? David Cameron was forced to admit, during his grilling by Jeremy Paxman, that he couldn’t. But 1.4 million Britons do. Some out of choice, some through necessity. But the latest attempts by the main parties to tackle the injustices of zero-hours contracts fail to get to the heart of the problem – which has nothing to do with a need for ‘flexibility’ and everything to do with dodging tax.
Many of us might be horrified at the thought of not knowing when our next pay cheque will be coming and how much it will be, but large numbers of people on zero-hours contracts are perfectly happy without that job security.
Surveys have repeatedly revealed that the majority of people on zero hours contracts don’t believe they are being exploited by nasty bosses. Many students, mothers with young children, retirees and others say they enjoy the flexibility as much as their employers do to say ‘No’ to work when it doesn’t suit them, without any penalty.
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