Introduction to Zero Hours and On-call Work in Anglo-Saxon Countries

Abstract

This chapter provides the introductory backdrop to the study of employment arrangements variously termed zero hours and on-call work. The chapter focuses on two essential features of such work—job instability and working time uncertainty. Given the centrality of working time to the analysis of on-call work, the chapter provides an outline of the evolution of working time in the employment relationship from its increasing formalisation during industrialisation to contemporary organisation’s use of working time in fragmented ways and without the regulations associated with standard working time arrangements. The chapter assesses definitions of zero hours and on-call work by international bodies. As regulation is a central focus in the study of work, the chapter examines the potential for regulating working time by social actors and the state, particularly emphasising the tensions that arise as states try to fulfil multiple and sometimes competing functions. This is followed by a comparative overview of the characteristics of the six Anglo-Saxon countries studied in the book in regards to their production, industrial relations and welfare systems.