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A zero hour contract is a contract of employment used in the UK which in theory offers great freedom to both employers and employees. The employee is under no obligation to work for the employer, who in turn is under no obligation to offer a set number of hours for the employee. But the employee is expected to be on call and ready to work at relatively short notice when there is a need. The employee is only paid for the hours he or she works. The contract meets the terms of the British Employment Rights Act 1996. 

Employers say zero hour contracts give them the flexibility to offer jobs in a stressed marked, while critics say the contracts offer far too much power to employers and that employees are in danger of being exploited.