The Analysis on Employment Rights of “Zero-Hours Contracts” Workers in the UK

Abstract

In view of the fact that a large number of people in the UK are working with zero-hours contracts, this paper gives a further discussion on the legal status of these people. In order that more “zero-hours contracts”workers can enjoy their legal rights in the UK, the project is designed to examine to what extent the workers with zero-hours contracts have the rights based on employment legislation. Firstly, it offers a clear distinction between “typical” and “atypical” workers and concludes that “zero-hours contracts” work should fall into the latter category. And then it proposes that the key to identifying worker and employee lies in the mutuality obligation between employer and employee. By taking the dispute between Pulse Healthcare Ltd and Carewatch Care Services Ltd & 6 others as a case study, it hopes to offer a detailed explanation on this question. At last, it comes up with the conclusion that the “zero-hours contracts” workers will be able to enjoy more rights after the legal status defining becomes more accurate.