McDonald's UK boss backs use of zero-hours contracts

Paul Pomroy said zeros hours contracts help staff stay flexible

Paul Pomroy said zeros hours contracts help staff stay flexible (Getty)

The UK boss of McDonald’s has come out in support of zero-hours contracts.

Paul Pomroy, the UK chief executive of McDonald’s, told the BBC that zeros hours contracts help staff stay flexible.

"We still have zero hours contracts, they’re very flexible contracts. Having surveyed our employees, they still love the flexibility," Pomroy said.

He added that McDonald’s employees get their shifts two weeks in advance

When asked about the government’s planned increase in the minimum wage to a new 'living wage' of £7.20, Pomroy agreed that the change would be "a burden" on the company.

Pomroy is not the first to praise the "flexibility" of zero hours contracts. In June, the Conservative business minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe defended such contracts, saying they let people earn as much as they choose.

However zero hours contracts also do not guarantee any set hours, which leaves employees vulnerable if an employer decides to refuse them work.