Universities twice as likely as other employers to use zero-hours contracts

By Sarah Butler.Half of universities and two-thirds of further education colleges use zero-hours contracts, freedom of information requests reveal. Universities and colleges are more than twice as likely to employ staff on controversial zero-hours contracts as other workplaces, freedom of information requests have found. More than half of the 145 UK universities and nearly two-thirds of the 275 further education colleges that responded to the requests said they used the contracts, which do not specify working hours and often give limited guarantees on conditions. The FoI requests were made by the University and College Union (UCU). Among businesses in the wider economy, according to recent research from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, just over a quarter (27%) of companies use zero-hours contracts. More...