BOSSES will have to pay casual workers if they cancel their shifts at short notice in a clampdown unveiled today.
Business Secretary Greg Clark will insist firms consult staff before setting their shift hours — and employees will not be punished for refusing last-minute demands to work.
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The changes are part of a second wave of new rights for workers drawn up to tackle abuses in the gig economy and boost job security.
The announcement is one of a raft that Cabinet ministers are pushing out before the new PM takes over next week.
Tory leadership race frontrunner Boris Johnson has pledged a bonfire of red tape, and ministers fear their plans are vulnerable.
Mr Clark said: “Most businesses support their flexible working staff but I want to tackle the small number that exploit workers and fail to provide certainty over hours and shifts.”
The Low Pay Commission proposed the shift protections. Chairman Bryan Sanderson said they could “improve work and life for hundreds of thousands of people”.
The length of notice firms must give and the level of compensation will be set after further consultation.
But one proposal is to have to pay out the full wage for the cancelled shift.
At the moment, just 32% of businesses who employ low-paid flexible workers give them more than a week’s notice for their shifts.
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