This week the Trade Union Congress will call for the
outlawing of zero hours contacts (http://www.tuc.org.uk/the_tuc/tuc-22485-f0.pdf
pg12) and while, personally, I dislike the practice there has to be caution
in either outlawing the practice or, indeed, modifying it.
It is estimated that around 300,000 social care workers
are on zero hours contracts (http://www.socialcareworker.co/2013/08/02/300000-social-care-workers-on-zero-hours-contracts/),
around a third of the total workforce.
Before we puts jobs at jeopardy or social care services
at risk by outlawing zero hours contracts there first needs to be a
comprehensive look at why the use of zero hours contracts has risen in social
care and, obviously, an understanding of the impact to services if those
contracts are outlawed.
Is there, for example, a link between the increased use
of zero hour contracts and the increased use of ’15 minute’ social care
services being commissioned?
A survey last year by the UKHCA found that
·
Short homecare visits being commissioned by
councils to undertake intimate personal care, with risks to the dignity and
safety of people who use services;
·
Continued downward-pressure on the prices paid
for care, where lowest price has overtaken quality of service in commissioning
decisions;
·
Contracting arrangements which have resulted in
visit times and the hourly rates paid for care as the decisive factors in the
viability of the sector.
If providers are fighting to compete on price then, from
a business point of view, it means having staff on zero hours contracts makes
sense if it helps reduce overall staffing costs. So the issue is not only about
zero hour contracts but also about commissioning and funding in social care.
There also needs to be thought about the impact on
services if zero hours contracts are outlawed or modified without any real
thought of the implications.
Social care is, by its very nature, difficult to plan
for. We cannot tell how many people will suddenly need social care services in
the near future or, sadly, how many will no longer need care services. So there
needs to be a degree of flexibility in social care staffing, particularly in
home care where the greater use of zero hours contracts are found.
If zero hour contracts are removed without arrangements
for dealing with this need for flexibility then care services could be
affected. For example not enough staff would lead to people receiving care
services only when people are available rather than when they need them or
providers could have a surfeit of staff who would still need to be paid even
when there was no work for them, putting pressure on the provider’s economic
viability.
Within social care zero hour contracts are as much a
symptom of the financial constraints as they are about employer exploitation.
Yes let’s get rid of them but in a manner that ensures social care services are
improved rather than put in jeopardy and a manner that improves the lives of
social care workers rather than puts jobs at risk.
