• Tories’ legislation to protect zero-hours workers called ’toothless’ by lawyers | UK news | The Guardian
    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/26/conservatives-zero-hours-contracts-small-business-act-david-cameron-too

    Legislation that the prime minister, David Cameron, boasted will protect workers on zero-hours contracts has been described as toothless by employment lawyers.

    A provision in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, which was passed under the Liberal-Conservative coalition government and came into force on Tuesday, intended to ban clauses that allow employers to block zero-hours employees from holding jobs elsewhere.

    The new measure against so-called exclusivity clauses was much touted by Cameron in the Conservative party election campaign. He promised: “In a Britain that everyone is proud to call home, people are employed, they are not used. Those exclusive zero-hours contracts that left people unable to build decent lives for themselves – we will scrap them.

    However, lawyers say that the ban is not backed by any enforcement measures, meaning zero-hours workers have no way of taking action against employers who break its terms.

    Interdiction de la clause d’exclusivité pour les #contrats_zéro_heure, mais sans règle contraignante. Le secrétaire d’État aux Affaires, à l’Innovation et au Savoir-faire a mené son enquête (74 réponses, d’entreprises, de syndicats, de chambres de commerce et de particuliers) : 83% pensent que les employeurs contourneront l’interdiction et énumèrent les moyens probables de contournement.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/410114/BIS-15-59-zero-hours-contracts-government-response-to-the-banning-exclusivity-cl

    In your opinion, how likely or unlikely is it that employers would seek to avoid a ban on exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts?
    • Very likely – 46%
    • Likely – 37%
    • Not likely – 14%
    • Not sure - 3%

    If you answered ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to the question above, how do you think employers would avoid a ban on exclusivity clauses?
    • Offering a minimal number of guaranteed hours, for instance 1 hour a week? – 75%
    • Restricting the work opportunities of the individual because they have not made themselves available in the past or have taken on an additional job – 66%
    • Don’t know – 3%
    • Other - 22%

    Should the Government seek to do more to deal with potential avoidance by employers of a ban on exclusivity clauses?
    • Yes – 90%
    • No – 2%
    • Not sure – 8%