Zero Hours Justice welcomes change of heart by ABM Aviation

​By Pravin Jeyaraj

​Campaign group Zero Hours Justice has welcomed ABM Aviation’s change of heart about furloughing its zero hours contract workers during the second government lockdown.
 
At the beginning of the month, Zero Hours Justice was contacted by zero hours contract workers employed by the facility management company at Manchester Airport. They were concerned about how they were going to make ends meet after their employer ABM Aviation told them that they would not be furloughed.
 
After Zero Hours Justice wrote to the Michelle Baxter, the ABM’s General Manager at Manchester Airport, arguing for the zero hours contract workers to be furloughed, a letter was sent out to the workers saying that they would be furloughed.

​The workers had been furloughed since March and taken off furlough in August, but were each offered about three or four hours of work in total.  ​

George*, one of the zero hours contract workers affected, said: “"Having previously been told that the zero-hours staff wouldn't be furloughed, I contacted Zero Hours Justice for advice and support.  After they contacted my employer, a decision has since been made to place me and my zero-hour colleagues on furlough, which is a great lifeline.  Thanks to Zero Hours Justice in helping to achieve this great success."

James Johnson-Flint, Director for Zero Hours Justice, said: “It is great that ABM have been flexible about furloughing its zero hours contract workers. We have often found that employers, once they decide not to furlough, rigidly stick to their decision despite good arguments to the contrary and without any sense of obligation to the staff on whom they depend to generate money. But the zero hours contract workers should never have been put in the position of having to push to be furloughed. There have been various government schemes to help employers support employees from 1 November – the now postponed Job Retention Bonus, Job Support Scheme and now extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. As soon as the second lockdown was announced, a large company such as ABM should have instinctively thought it had the means to look after its zero hours staff.”

* Real name has not been used