New rights for flexible workers will give them enhanced protections in the workplace, the Department for Business has announced.
Thousands of zero hour workers will get paid compensation for cancelled shifts, under plans to reform rights for those with on the most vulnerable contracts.
Under its Good Work Plan, the government will consult on proposed new measures for flexible workers, including compensation for workers when shifts are cancelled at short notice and the entitlement to a reasonable period of notice for their allocated shifts.
Additional protections will also be given to individuals who are penalised if they do not accept shifts last minute.
It comes after .
She said it should be the default position for all employees - not a benefit that individuals have to actively to request.
Business secretary Greg Clark said: "Innovative entrepreneurs and new business models have opened up a whole new world of working patterns and opportunities, providing people with freedom to decide when and where they work that best suits them.
"It’s vital that workers’ rights keep pace with these changes, reflect the modern working environment and tackle the small number of firms that do not treat their staff fairly.
"We are the first country in the world to address modern working practices and these protections will cement the UK’s status as a world-leader in workers’ rights."
LPC Chair Bryan Sanderson said: “We are delighted to see the Government taking forward our recommendation to consult on these measures.
“Last year we looked at the data on one-sided flexibility and talked to workers and businesses across the UK. Our report, published in December, found that shift cancellations and short notice of work schedules were significant problems, especially for low-paid workers.
“The proposed changes, part of a package of policies we suggested, have the potential to improve work and life for hundreds of thousands of people.”
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said too many workers are treated like disposable labour.
"Making sure employers compensate staff for cancelling shifts at the last minute is a step in the right direction," he said.
"But we need to deal with the root of this problem - the explosion of insecure work. That means banning shading practices like zero-hours contracts."
Often used in service industries such as couriers and hospitality and in the retail sectors, flexible working allows people to fit their work around their personal lives, including caring responsibilities and studies.
Following the Matthew Taylor review, which found that zero hours contracts works for the majority of those on them giving them the flexibility they seek but recommended that the Low Pay Commission should examine the issue of one-sided flexibility.
Nearly 40% of UK workers say that their hours can vary from week-to-week, with and approximately 1.7million individuals feeling anxious that their working hours could change unexpectedly.
