Retail union calls right to ask for predictable working hours 'small step'

A proposed new law giving shop workers the right to request predictable hours would be just a “small step” in the right direction, a retail workers union has said.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill is scheduled to receive its second reading in the House of Lords and is sponsored by Labour Peer, Baroness Anderson. The Bill has passed all its stages in the House of Commons and introduces a new statutory right for workers to request a predictable working pattern.

Speaking on the bill, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says that much more needs to be done to tackle insecure work.

"The right to request a more predictable contract was included in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, after the Taylor Review recommended reform in 2017. After nearly four years the Tories have still failed to bring forward their promised employment bill and have relied on piecemeal legislation through private members bills. This latest measure is not enough and amounts to a very small step.

“The ongoing cost of living crisis is devastating for all workers, particularly the lowest paid who are often struggling in insecure employment. Skyrocketing prices, along with huge increases in energy and fuel costs, leave too many workers unable to make ends meet. Short-term support with current cost of living pressures is crucial, but the Government needs to deliver a new deal for workers.

“At the heart of the cost of living crisis is poor employment rights and low pay. We need a new deal that makes work pay and an end to one-sided flexibility, with a ban on zero and short hours contracts to provide much needed security of employment and income. Alongside this we also need an immediate £12 per hour minimum wage for all workers, regardless of age, as a step towards £15."