A zero-hours contract is not 'flexibility' but exploitation – and it's rising

These contracts are a symbol of an insecure labour market in which the balance of power is tilted decisively in favour of employers

The phrase "zero-hours contract" was virtually unheard of in Britain a decade ago. That's not surprising, since in the years leading up to the start of the financial crisis in 2007 few people were employed on one.

Today, after an eightfold increase in the past 10 years, everybody knows what a zero-hours contract is and what it represents. It is a symbol of an increasingly insecure labour market in which the balance of power is tilted decisively in favour of employers.

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