I agree with much of what Iain Duncan Smith said on Sky TV this morning: that zero-hours contracts should be rebranded ‘flexible-hours contracts’, that they are good for work-life balance and are often very popular with those who are employed in this way – who are, as a result, able to do such things as combine working with studying.
But IDS would have a much easier job of convincing the electorate on this had he gone further and recommended that one particular group of workers was switched to the contracts: MPs. I am not trying to belittle the job of being a parliamentarian, nor try to assert that it is on a skill level with shelf-stacking. Scrutinising legislation is a skilled activity which deserves to be paid well. A rate of £100 an hour would be appropriate, I think.
But being an MP is clearly not a full-time job.
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