FERMANAGH and South Tyrone MLA, Jemma Dolan, has launched a Bill to ban zero-hour contracts in Northern Ireland in an effort to tackle the uncertainty faced by workers.

Currently, there is no legal definition of a zero-hours contract in either Northern Ireland or Great Britain employment law.

A zero-hours contract is one in which you do not have to guarantee the individual any work, and the individual is not obliged to accept any work offered by you.

Such contracts have become more widespread over recent years, particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors, where they are seen as an efficient way of satisfying short-term staffing needs.

The Sinn Fein spokesperson on Workers’ Rights said: “People employed under these contracts are faced with deep uncertainty and stress and no guarantees on what they will earn or what hours they will work.

“This needs to change; workers and families deserve fairness and certainty.

“This Bill will replace zero-hour contracts with Banded Hour Contracts, and will ensure that workers are given guarantees over their minimum and maximum working hours each week.

“Over the next number of weeks, I am encouraging trade unions, businesses, workers and others to take part in my consultation to help me to advance workers’ rights, which can be completed at surveymonkey.com/r/MVC9FV3,” she said.