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Zero hours workers 'too afraid to look for work'

Workers on zero hours contracts are often too afraid to look for other jobs and lack the sense of security others in full-time employment enjoy, a study from the conciliation service Acas found.

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Workers 'did not even know' they were on zero hours

Many workers "did not seem to even know" they were employed on zero hours contract, with some believing they were permanent staff because of their length of service, a study has shown.

Data from conciliation service Acas showed workers on zero hours often experienced deep seeded insecurities about their long-term employment prospects.

Acas chairman Sir Brendan Barber, said:

A lot of workers on zero hours contracts are afraid of looking for work elsewhere, turning down hours, or questioning their employment rights in case their work is withdrawn or reduced.

This deep rooted "effective exclusivity" can be very damaging to trust and to the employment relationship.

There also appeared to be a lack of transparency on the terms of their contractual arrangements.

Many people did not seem to even know that they were on a zero hours contracts and some believed they were on a permanent contract due to the length of their service.

– Sir Brendan Barber
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Zero hours workers 'too afraid to look for work'

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