Zero Hours Justice is a campaign led by a coalition of concerned citizens, working together with representatives from the Trade Union Congress and responsible employers, TO end zero hours contracts when enforced on workers against their will.
The Zero Hours Justice campaign is led by Ian Hodson, President, who has huge experience of workers’ rights issues. Ian has joined Julian Richer, campaign founder, entrepreneur and author of "The Ethical Capitalist". The team also brings together Damien Morrison, a passionate human rights lawyer, employment law specialists from Thompsons Solicitors, plus author and journalist, James Bloodworth. Working with the backing of the Trade Union Congress, Zero Hours Justice aims to deliver a sustained campaign to ensure those suffering at the mercy of zero hours contracts have a voice and to challenge the status quo.
Ian Hodson - President
Ian is President of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union and has a passion for fighting injustice. He leads our campaign to ban zero hours contracts in the UK:
“Those on zero hours contracts are among the most vulnerable in our society. Many of them feel powerless to complain, even if they suffer serious problems at work like bullying and sexual harassment. The response from managers can be threats to cut their hours of work. Nobody should have to live like that in 21st Century Britain. Every job should give people the basic security they need to live a decent life.”
“Those on zero hours contracts are among the most vulnerable in our society. Many of them feel powerless to complain, even if they suffer serious problems at work like bullying and sexual harassment. The response from managers can be threats to cut their hours of work. Nobody should have to live like that in 21st Century Britain. Every job should give people the basic security they need to live a decent life.”
Julian Richer – Founder and Funder
Julian Richer: “This is a non party political campaign for those who want a better society. We want our campaign to be a coming together of interested parties for the ending of the awful practice of unilaterally imposed zero hours contracts. As an employer, I care passionately about my colleagues. I can’t imagine anything more likely to cause misery than not knowing day-to-day whether they will have enough money for food or rent. Maybe such contracts can work for a small minority of workers who have other significant household incomes or for students with wealthy parents. But, for the majority, this evil way of exploiting people at work must be banned – as indeed they are most European countries. If we can’t give working people basic security, we should be ashamed.”
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chris Peace - director
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Chris has a long track record in fighting for social justice and equality. She has vast experience working in both the public and private sectors, in education and law, as well as in the trade union movement. She comes from a background of leading grassroots campaigning and activism.
“The growth of the use of zero hour contracts has plunged many workers and their families into a life of financial instability, anxiety and worry. They are bad for people’s well-being as well as diluting hard won employment rights, terms and conditions. It’s time we put a stop to their use and in the meantime Zero Hours Justice will campaign alongside trade unions and other partners to persuade employers to adopt a fairer approach that ultimately will benefit them by improving the lives of their employees and their families.” |
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James Bloodworth - Author and Journalist
In his most recent book, Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain, James travelled around the country working in a variety of precarious, zero hours contract jobs. During this experience, he saw first-hand how the use of zero ours contracts created insecurity among employees and often left them trapped in jobs where they were struggling to make ends meet. It was this experience that prompted James to get involved with the Zero Hours Justice campaign. James’ work has appeared in the Guardian, the Times, New York Review of Books, New Statesman and elsewhere.
dr pravin jeyaraj - communications officer
Pravin Jeyaraj has obtained a PhD in Law from University of Westminster and has worked as a paralegal, legal editor, journalist and administrator. As Communications Officer for Zero Hours Justice, he handles telephone and website enquiries, from zero hours contract workers needing information and assistance as well as researchers, journalists and volunteers. He is also responsible for updating the website, blog and social media pages.
Damien Morrison – In-house counsel and a passionate advocate for social justice Damien Morrison, a criminal specialist, has always had an interest in issues of social justice, coming into law as a direct result of seeing the Miners’ Strike in his native North-East. He has seen the consequences of those that have had to work with Zero Hours Contracts:
“I have acted for good people, desperate for work, with families to provide, who have been in trouble with the police and courts because of the way these evil contracts operate, whilst the owners of the businesses become the richest people on the planet.” |
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Zero Hours Justice are working with Declan Owens and Rakesh Patel, employment lawyers at Thompsons Solicitors. Among other things, they provide the campaign with expert advice on employment rights by attending advice clinics and pursuing test cases to change the law on zero hours contracts in the UK.
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Declan Owens, SolicitorSpecialising in labour law and human rights, Declan Owens has:
- Represented blacklisted trade unionists in the construction sector; - Completed a master’s degree in European and International Labour Law at the University of Amsterdam; - Conducted research at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies; - Worked in the legal departments of both the International Trade Union Confederation and the Workers’ Bureau of the International Labour Organisation. Declan is Chair of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and is on the Coordinating Committee of the European Lawyers for Workers Network. |
Rakesh Patel, Head of Employment Rights StrategyRakesh deals with a wide range of employment cases with a heavy emphasis on discrimination. He is responsible for developing the firm’s employment rights strategy, planning, policy, service quality and business development. He is “solution-focused”, getting to the nub of a problem calmly and quickly.
He will not pursue claims simply to establish a legal principle, focusing more on delivering a practical result for the client. Rakesh regularly gives talks and lectures on employment law to clients both at events organised by Thompsons and external organisations such as the Institute of Employment Rights. |
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TUC
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“The TUC welcomes the Zero Hours Justice campaign. It opens up a new front in the battle to end zero-hours contracts, alongside the ongoing campaign by the TUC and its affiliated unions. We will work in close partnership with Zero Hours Justice until this exploitation of working people is outlawed.”
- Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary |
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