Extending a zero-hour contract: Tips & Advice

Questioner

We have an employee with a zero-hours contract of fixed duration for 1 year. This contract expires in November. Can we offer him a zero-hours contract of fixed duration again (e.g. again 1 year or 2 years)? Taking into account the change in the law whereby we have to pay wages if the employee works less than the average over the last 3 months. I had read somewhere that a zero-hours contract could last a maximum of 6 months, hence my question. Thank you very much.

Lawyer

As of July 1, 2015, it will no longer be permitted to extend zero-hour contracts indefinitely. This may be deviated from by collective labor agreement, but only if the work is incidental in nature and has no fixed scope. Zero-hour contracts are completely banned in healthcare.