NEWS
Travel Weekly has teamed up with leading industry employment lawyer Ami Naru for a regular column offering answers to readers’ legal questions on employment/HR matters. Ami will cover the latest employment issues facing the industry and respond to questions and dilemmas posed by you. In this column, Ami answers a question about expected changes to zero-hour contracts.
We use zero-hour and casual contracts during busy periods, especially in the summer, and have heard about planned changes to
Ami Naru PARTNER, TRAVLAW
The law on zero- hour contracts is set to change – are you ready?
the law in this area. Will we still be able to use these contracts, and what should we be aware of?
A. There has been a lot of news about exploitative zero-hour contracts recently, and while it does not seem that they will be banned, employers should be aware that zero and low-hour contracts are going to become harder to rely on in their current form. On July 1, the government published its
roadmap for the implementation of the Employment Rights Bill. Under the Bill, which is expected to come into force in 2027, the government has proposed new rights for workers on zero-hour or casual contracts. The aim is to reduce insecurity
to soften the Bill (including changing the duty to a “right to request” guaranteed hours rather than an employer having a duty to offer guaranteed hours), but they currently lack government backing and are unlikely to pass. Final details will be confirmed through secondary legislation, but employers should prepare for stricter rules in this area. While the Bill has support and is expected to pass
LEGAL
around work and encourage more predictable working patterns. Currently, power and control lies very much with employers. If passed in its current form, the Bill will introduce a right for qualifying workers to be offered guaranteed hours after a certain period (likely 12 weeks). Workers will still be able to decline the offer
Q&A
of work if it does not suit, but where someone is regularly working a set pattern, employers may have to formalise that arrangement. There will also be new rights to reasonable notice of shifts and compensation where shifts are cancelled at short notice. A new route to bring tribunal claims for non-compliance will also be introduced. There may be exceptions; for example, where
the need for casual work is genuinely temporary. However, exceptions are expected to be narrow. Amendments have been proposed in Parliament
in its current form, details are still being finalised. The precise rules around what counts as a regular pattern, how much notice is considered reasonable and how compensation for cancelled shifts will work are all due to be set out in secondary legislation. We may also see further clarification around exceptions for short-term and seasonal roles. Employers should monitor developments closely and be ready to adapt once the final regulations are published. Many businesses in the travel and
tourism industry rely on casual and seasonal staffing, whether for resort workers, customer service teams or airport operations. These changes could significantly increase admin, costs and legal risk where casual workers are
engaged for longer periods or on a regular basis. While the contracts themselves won’t be unlawful, their use will need to be more carefully managed. Employers in the travel industry should start reviewing their workforce requirements now and consider tracking working patterns to ensure they can identify when a guaranteed hours offer might be triggered. It’s also worth reviewing any internal policies
or manager guidance around shift allocation and cancellations, as well as contracts currently in use. With time to plan, businesses can continue to use flexible staffing models, but
the current approach will need to evolve. Q This article is not a substitute for formal legal advice.
Ami Naru is partner and head of employment at leading travel law firm Travlaw Legal Services and has advised the
industry on employment law for 25 years. Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2000, she has focused on building a practice dedicated to serving the industry and works with bodies including Abta, Aito and the Business Travel Association.
Q ASK AMI A QUESTION: If you have any questions relating to employment law, or other areas of HR, that you would like to put to Ami, email
robin.murray@
travelweekly.co.uk with the subject: Question for Ami
18
2 OCTOBER 2025
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURES: David Robertson; Shutterstock/Lokal Vektor
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