Tens of thousands of people across our region head to work each day not knowing what their hours will be, or even if they will be told to go home when they get there. Comment from Billy Coates, GMB Regional Secretary.

GMB has called for action after the number of workers on zero hours contracts in the North East shot up 11,000 compared to the same point last year.

There are 45,000 people stuck on zero hours contacts in the region, up from 34,000 last year – an increase of 32 percent. The North East has seen the biggest increase in zero hours contracts compared to the same point last year.

The number of people in region on a zero hours contract increased from 2.8 percent of the workforce to 3.7 percent – the highest concentration of zero hours contracts in the country. GMB calls on the Government to take action to curb the rise of such ‘dangerously precarious’ contracts in the region.

Billy Coates, GMB Regional Secretary said: “Once again we see the plague of zero hours contracts rampant in the North East. Tens of thousands of people across our region head to work each day not knowing what their hours will be, or even if they will be told to go home when they get there.

That’s no way to live – how can you plan for the future, or even know if you can pay the rent of buy food? The Government must take action to ban these dangerously precarious contracts.”