Labour MP Angela Rayner says the party will scrap zero-hours contracts if they win the next general election.
The Labour deputy leader and MP for Ashton-under-Lyne said the pledge would form part of Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’ if Sir Keir Starmer is made Prime Minister at the next election.
Labour said zero-hours contracts have doubled in Scotland in the past decade, from about 46,000 between October and December in 2013, to about 94,000 during the same period last year.
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Speaking ahead of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) in Dundee today, Ms Rayner said: “Scotland has seen an explosion of zero-hours contracts, leaving working people with insecure hours and no guarantee when their next pay cheque will arrive. This disgraceful surge in insecure work risks a race to the bottom.
“Zero-hours working practices often go hand-in-hand with low pay, and working women are disproportionately affected by the scourge of insecure work.”
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Criticising the UK and Scottish Governments, she added: “While the Tories and the SNP have failed to deliver the crackdown they promised, the next Labour government will ban zero-hours contracts, safeguard rights at work and raise standards for all.
“With our New Deal for Working People, Labour has a plan to ensure people have access to fair and secure work. Labour will make Scotland work for working people.”