Zero Hours meaning

The new labour regulator The new labour regulator, formed by merging three separate existing enforcement bodies, will be empowered to provide guidance and support to staff taking legal action against their employers and to issue penalties to repay underpaid workers more quickly overall than pursuing an employment tribunal case themselves, Justin Madders told MPs. The agency will also be able to reclaim enforcement expenses from employers it successfully prosecutes, though this measure will be consulted on. 'We believe it is a key principle that, where wrongdoing occurs, the wrongdoer contributes towards the taxpayer’s costs of upholding the law,' Labour MP Madders said in the House of Commons...

City Blinds Scotland Ltd v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 1100 (TC) Complete Solutions Europe Ltd v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 1116 (TC) In City Blinds Scotland Ltd, the FTT endorsed HMRC’s determination seeking repayment of CJRS sums that had been paid in excess. The business, which manufactures and supplies blinds, had lodged five claims for support covering the span from March 2020 through to March 2021. It was accepted by both sides that the workforce in question were fixed-rate employees and that the payroll figures applied in the calculations were accurate. The live dispute comprised two principal questions. The first focused on how to derive 80% of each employee’s reference salary. In its assessment, HMRC translated the monthly remuneration into a daily figure by applying a seven‑day weekly denominator. The company maintained that, because staff worked a five‑day week, the correct divisor should have been five rather than seven. The FTT preferred HMRC’s position and concluded that the seven‑day approach to converting monthly pay to a daily rate was the proper...

Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has said it has 'no plans' to commence the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 in the autumn as previously anticipated. A DBT spokesperson said it will instead bring forward 'a new right to a contract that mirrors the number of hours regularly worked, as part of our significant and ambitious agenda to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy'. 'We do not wish to confuse employers and workers with two different models', the spokesperson added, explaining the choice not to bring the law into effect; the Act received Royal Assent in September 2023. The 'number of hours regularly worked' will rely on a 12-week reference period. But it remains unclear whether this is a fixed or a rolling period, whether there is also a qualifying period to access the right, or precisely when it will be introduced...

This tracker captures legislation taking effect in 2026, arranged in chronological order. Updates are published on a month-by-month basis throughout the year, and links to relevant news reports are included where appropriate. For legislation commencing later in 2026, see Practice Note: Legislation tracker—Employment. For measures in force prior to 2026, refer to these Practice Notes: Archived—2025 Legislation tracker—Employment Archived—2024 Legislation tracker—Employment Archived—2023 Legislation tracker—Employment Archived—2022 Employment horizon scanner—dates for your diary Legislation in force—January 2026 Commencement date (unless otherwise indicated) Legislative change 6 January 2026 Exclusivity clauses—protections for low-income and zero hours workers Section 8 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025) widens the current protections to apply to all zero hours arrangements, whether contractual or not, and covers any restriction on taking work elsewhere. Any such term is void and unenforceable...

This Practice Note outlines the criteria an employer may apply when deciding how to engage an individual. It examines the main categories of employment status—employee, worker, and the self-employed or independent contractor—and also addresses employee shareholders, casual staff and those on zero hours arrangements, agency workers, apprentices, interns and volunteers. Employers should identify at the outset which status is intended—employee, worker or self-employed—as each attracts distinct rights and protections. Further, particular considerations arise where the engagement is casual or ‘zero hours’, or involves agency workers, apprentices, interns or volunteers. Employment status also determines how the individual is treated for tax purposes (see Practice Note: Employment status—why it matters). Errors can result in employment tribunal proceedings and exposure to tax liabilities. Ultimately, regardless of the label used, courts and tribunals will prioritise the true substance of the working relationship over the wording of any contract. Employee, worker, self-employed/independent contractor Employee shareholders Casual and ‘zero hours’ workers Agency workers Apprentices Interns and volunteers ...

Employment laws in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have much in common, as all operate within common law systems and many contemporary employment statutes flow from European Directives. Even so, divergences do exist and are likely to widen. This Practice Note outlines several distinctions between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. Care is advised when handling matters in Northern Ireland, where the framework is becoming increasingly distinct from Great Britain. For details on the differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, see Practice Note: Northern Ireland employment law. Main areas of difference employment status categories leave entitlements qualifying period and remedies under unfair dismissals legislation redundancy entitlements protected conversations and settlement agreements employment tribunal procedures transfers of undertakings (TUPE) immigration Categories of employment status In the Republic of Ireland, individuals engaged in work are typically classified as either ‘employees’ or ‘independent contractors’. There is no...

1 The Claimant was engaged by the Respondent from [ insert date ] as a bicycle courier, based at the Respondent’s premises at [ insert address ]. The Respondent is a company that provides delivery services throughout the Greater London area...

Contract of employment dated [ insert date ] Parties 1 [ Name of Employer ] [ of [ insert address ] OR a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] (registered number [ insert number ]) whose registered office is at [ insert address ] ] (we or us); and 2 [ Name of employee ] of [ insert address ] (you). 1 Appointment 1.1 We agree to employ you in line with the terms and conditions contained in this agreement herein. 1.2 [ [ Option 1: Continuity (no previous PERIOD of employment counts): ] Your employment with us under this agreement hereunder [ will commence OR commenced ] on [ insert date ] (the 'Start Date'). Your continuous employment with us [ commenced on OR will commence on ] the Start Date, and no service with any earlier employer is treated as part of your continuous employment with us. OR 1.3 [ Option 2: Continuity...

[ To appear on the organisation’s headed paper ] [ Insert worker’s name ] [ Insert worker’s address ] [ Insert date ] Dear [ insert worker’s name ] (‘ you ’) Casual work with [ insert name of organisation ] (‘ we ’ or ‘ us ’) This agreement outlines the basis on which you and we agree that you will deliver occasional services as [ insert role ] on a part-year, casual arrangement. Because of the nature of our business, and this position, we cannot predict precisely which days, or what hours, we will need your services during [ term-time OR the [ summer ] term OR the harvest period OR the performance season at [ insert name of venue ] ]. 1 Status Your employer for the purposes of this agreement is [ insert name of organisation ]. This agreement is not an employment contract and does not grant you any employment rights other than those to which...

For information: for a general overview of zero hours contracts, refer to Practice Note: Zero hours contracts for guidance on protections for zero hours workers (including employees) concerning exclusivity clauses, see Practice Note: Exclusivity clauses—protections for low-income and zero hours workers Section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) makes any term in a zero hours contract unenforceable against a worker if it attempts to stop them from: carrying out work or providing services under another contract or any other arrangement, or doing so without the employer’s permission Workers under a specified contract (that is, low-income workers) are additionally covered by the Exclusivity Terms for Zero Hours Workers (Unenforceability and Redress) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/1145, regs 2–3...