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House of Lords employing low-paid staff on zero-hours contracts | House of Lords employing low-paid staff on zero-hours contracts |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The House of Lords is employing low-paid staff on zero-hours contracts, it has been revealed. | |
Up to 30 catering staff and 29 parliamentary reporters are on the contracts which employ staff on a ‘no work, no pay’ basis. ‘Zero-hour’ or casual work contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of hours for staff or basic employment rights such as sick pay and paid redundancy. They have been criticised by campaign groups as enabling employers to exploit staff. | Up to 30 catering staff and 29 parliamentary reporters are on the contracts which employ staff on a ‘no work, no pay’ basis. ‘Zero-hour’ or casual work contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of hours for staff or basic employment rights such as sick pay and paid redundancy. They have been criticised by campaign groups as enabling employers to exploit staff. |
The contracts have come to light as part of a Freedom of Information request obtained by The Sunday Mirror. | The contracts have come to light as part of a Freedom of Information request obtained by The Sunday Mirror. |
The House of Lords has faced growing criticism in recent months over perceived financial extravagance. Peers are paid £300 per day just for attending the chamber. | The House of Lords has faced growing criticism in recent months over perceived financial extravagance. Peers are paid £300 per day just for attending the chamber. |
Lord Sewel recently resigned after high-profile allegations that he boasted of spending his allowance on cocaine and sex workers. | Lord Sewel recently resigned after high-profile allegations that he boasted of spending his allowance on cocaine and sex workers. |
Calls for the upper chamber to be reformed were renewed this week as new peers were announced. They included a multi-millionaire who had made a number of large donations to the Conservative party and Douglas Hogg, the former Conservative MP who was widely ridiculed for claiming expenses for his moat. | Calls for the upper chamber to be reformed were renewed this week as new peers were announced. They included a multi-millionaire who had made a number of large donations to the Conservative party and Douglas Hogg, the former Conservative MP who was widely ridiculed for claiming expenses for his moat. |
The new members will cost up to £13,500 per day in expenses. | The new members will cost up to £13,500 per day in expenses. |
A spokesperson for the House of Lords defended the chamber’s use of zero-hour contracts at the same time. They told The Mirror that demand for workers “varies significantly week to week and [hours] are often unpredictable.” | A spokesperson for the House of Lords defended the chamber’s use of zero-hour contracts at the same time. They told The Mirror that demand for workers “varies significantly week to week and [hours] are often unpredictable.” |
They added: “The use of zero-hours staff instead of agency staff reduces costs to the tax payer.” | They added: “The use of zero-hours staff instead of agency staff reduces costs to the tax payer.” |
According to the Office for National Statistics, 697,000 people were employed on zero-hours contracts for their main job between October and December 2014- amounting to some 2.3 per cent of the UK workforce. | According to the Office for National Statistics, 697,000 people were employed on zero-hours contracts for their main job between October and December 2014- amounting to some 2.3 per cent of the UK workforce. |
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