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Closed Stop agencies fining those who cannot attend work because of an emergency

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Agencies are currently able to issue fines to workers if they do not give 48 hours prior notice that they are unable to attend a shift. If they have an emergency or illness in that 48 hour window they will be fined, whether or not they provide a reason.

One agency that does this is ROTA, which provides hospitality staff. Given that it is illegal to handle food within 48 hours of diarrhoea or vommiting you could effectively be fined for abiding by the law.

It is outrageous to fine some of the lowest paid in our society. They already give up a lot of rights by having to take zero hour contracts, and to fine those in the most precarious of employment is deplorable.

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  • Petition closed

  • Related activity

    MPs want to hear your views on work and employment conditions

    A group of MPs called the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee are investigating work and employment conditions. You can help them.

    Do you have experience of agency work, being self-employed, working casual hours or working in short term temporary jobs, sometimes called the 'gig economy'?

    Share your views on one, or more, of the following questions:

    · If you’re a casual or agency worker or work on a zero-hours contract, do you feel the balance of benefits between you and your employer is appropriate?
    · Do you work ‘flexible’ hours (for example, you or your employer chooses which hours you work each week)? If so, do you like the flexibility of how you work or does this cause problems for you?
    · Are there general issues around terms and conditions in your work that you’d like to comment on?

    You can post your views on the Committee's forum: http://www.parliament.uk/world-of-work-forum

    The Committee will produce a report at the end of its investigations and make recommendations for Government action. The Government will then respond. We will keep you informed.

    What is the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee?

    The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee looks at and questions how the Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

    · is run
    · spends money
    · decides on its policies

    It's a cross-party committee and is independent of the Government.
    You can find out more about the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on its website: parliament.uk/beis

    You can follow the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on Twitter: @CommonsBEIS

    This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c&feature=youtu.be

  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 14 April 2017.