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, philanthropist and author of "The Ethical Capitalist". The team also brings together Damien Morrison, a passionate human rights lawyer, 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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PETER STEFANOVIC - LAWYER & SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER
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Peter is a high profile lawyer, vlogger, filmmaker, political and social commentator, media personality & campaigner. He is a former partner at law firm Simpson Millar LLP, where he specialised in clinical negligence litigation. As a result of his work supporting junior doctors in their contract dispute with the Government - Peter argued that the proposed contract was unfair and unsafe - he was nominated for Legal Personality of the Year in the 2016 Solicitors Journal awards. Peter has also campaigned for former miners in their pension fund dispute against the Government and is a staunch supporter of the WASPI women, postal workers and workers on zero hours contracts: “I won’t stand by whilst unscrupulous employers bully workers into unfair zero-hours contracts. That’s why I’m backing the Zero Hours Justice campaign". You can follow Peter on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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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.
LAURA REILLY - HR CONSULTANT & EMPLOYMENT LAWYERLaura Reilly FINSTLM MCIPD AFCILEX is a highly experienced and well-qualified HR director, with a specialism in in employment law. She provides legal advice for the more complex enquiries from zero hours contract workers that approach Zero Hours Justice. She is an Affiliate of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) and is trained in employment tribunal advocacy. She has over 15 years of private and not-for-profit experience, most recently as a director of a medium-sized Accountancy firm specialising in HR consultancy and employment law. She now runs her own HR Consultancy, Taurus HR Solutions.
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NEIL FINDLAY, DR TOMMY KANE & MICHAEL SHArPENeil, Tommy and Michael (picture, left to right) are activists, campaigners and directors of the not-for-profit social enterprise Unity Consulting Scotland. They have a long track record of grassroots community activism: Neil was an MSP from 2011 to 2021; Tommy worked as a researcher in the Scottish Parliament and as an adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, the then leader of HM Opposition at Westminster; and Michael has a background in policy development and campaign organising. Neil says, "We are very proud to be working with Zero Hours Justice. In our working lives, we have all worked in insecure, low paid employment and know the pressures this brings. We want to see a ban on the use of these contracts with every worker treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. This means receiving fair pay and a secure contract."
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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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Declan Owens, Solicitor and campaign advisor
Specialising in labour law, climate justice and human rights, Declan Owens is CEO of Ecojustice Legal Action Centre and has:
Declan is Chair of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and is on the Coordinating Committee of the European Lawyers for Workers Network.
- 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.
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.
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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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