Motion: Zero Hours Contracts

To consider the following motion to which due notice has been given:

“In a recent study by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, they found that the practice of zero hours contracts is having a detrimental impact on young people’s physical and mental health.

The precarious nature of such jobs, the lack of certainty in terms of both wages earned and hours worked in any week, is making it impossible for a new generation of workers to secure mortgages, to pay their bills and to make a decent living for themselves and their families.

Precarious work has now become a systematic feature of present day employment practices. It is anathema to decent working terms a terms and conditions and counter productive to encouraging inclusive economic growth.

This council agrees that zero hours contracts have no role in stimulating inclusive economic growth and should be banned.

Fermanagh & Omagh District Council calls upon employers within our district to end the practice of zero hour contracts now. This council commits itself to doing everything that it can to help make Fermanagh & Omagh a zero hours contracts free zone.

This motion further proposes that the Council Chair convene a district wide forum, including local business leaders, trade unions, employers organisations, youth groups, anti poverty groups, and any other concerned sections of civic society, to develop a practical strategy aimed at bringing an end to these damaging and harmful employment practices”.