Students

Zero-hour contracts mean flexible work hours, but this differs vastly in different jobs and with different employers. A zero-hour contract still means you are entitled to full employment rights for example – as a worker you must be paid at least the national minimum wage (a sloping scale of pay rates according to worker age between 16 and 23 years), you are entitled to paid annual leave, rest breaks and protection from discrimination. The law is also clear that the flexibility of zero-hour contracts is a benefit for both employer and worker.

While employers are not supposed to remove work hours or require hours to be worked at short notice, they can do so when it is truly unavoidable. Your contract should be clear and state in what circumstances hours of work might be changed at short notice, and your employer should honour your contract clauses. Do speak to your employer if hours are regularly changed at short notice and this impacting your studies.

Many students worry that if they appear uncooperative with employers their job will simply be given to someone else, or they won’t be considered in future timetables. An employer should not simply remove your zero-hour contract if displeased, or make you do hours you will struggle to fulfil with your other commitments. Sadly, a “worker” is not protected from unfair dismissal in the way that an “employee” is, but you are not supposed to be treated any less favourably than anyone else in the workplace, and the law is clear in that a zero-hour contract is supposed to be flexible for both employer and worker. Try to speak honestly with your employer about the challenges you are facing and propose some workable solutions that can work for both you and the employer.

You can request that you are consulted over the timetables – flexibility built into the zero-hour contract for businesses is intended to be mutual. The more “in advance” information you are able to give to your employer then the more it is reasonable for them to effectively manage the timetable to suit your study and social needs and those of other workers. Communication with your employer about your availability to work is key. Hospitality, Now! is actively working with hospitality businesses to raise awareness of this and related issues.

The National Minimum Wage – it must be stressed – is a minimum and employers have the discretion to increase pay levels when and where they feel it to be appropriate. There is no reason student-workers could not have their years of experience and growing skills base rewarded with higher pay. So too, there is no reason for employers to consider that students are somehow inferior or worth less than permanent staff and so where work socials take place student workers should be considered part of the team. An approach to your employer may be an effective means of redress for these issues, and indeed these issues are integrated into the campaigning that Hospitality, Now! is undertaking to improve student employer practice and recognising the experience and contribution of student-workers.

At present there appears to be little by way of collaboration between universities, unions and the businesses that employ students. It may indicate that there is limited awareness in the predicaments of students needing to maintain a certain number of hours to bring in a certain level of income that will ensure students can complete their courses and move to the next steps of their future careers. It may simply mean that there are few effective communication channels between all the players in the sector that are involved with zero-hour contracts and the issues are being lost. Although it is not easy, do try to speak to your programme leader about how work is affecting your study and raise these issues with your student union. Hospitality, Now! believes that much more can be done by way of support to students especially around issues such as pay increments, stable hours, and income, and much more. We are working with the unions and universities to help them appreciate the difficulties working students are facing.

Similarly, there is little by way of supportive interaction for student-workers between the organisational and institutional bodies, over the mental wellbeing, and the physical safety of student-workers. This impacts female student-workers inordinately, and male workers are affected by these issues too. Our research suggests that harassment (sexual or otherwise) of workers by customers, other staff and senior managers in workplaces is more frequent than is imagined and is considered part of the culture in hospitality. Making complaint in an environment unwilling to acknowledge the harm and distress caused by these issues is difficult. Workplaces should of course have procedures detailed in staff contracts on how to make such complaints. Anyone making a complaint should also be protected by the process as it progresses. Try to find out if there is a company policy for dealing with harassment at work and ask for training on how to deal with anti-social behaviour. Hospitality, Now! encourages all those suffering stress and anxiety for whatever reason, and those who have sexually or physically harassed to seek support from the Student Union and the University welfare unit. Hospitality, Now! is campaigning for clarity and improvements in worker contracts in these areas.

Hospitality, Now! is making the case for recognition by employers that training and staff development for student-workers is a worthwhile investment, regardless of the length of time worked. Student-workers stay in a particular workplace often for the length of their courses – between one and four years, not short periods of time by any standards these days. The sector would attract students when study ends if training is of quality and develops skills and knowledge. Everyone benefits if student-workers receive decent training for the actual job in hand, and training and development for future learning in the industry. It is possible that the sector can increase its attraction to the youth work market for the longer term.