A bill banning zero-hour contracts without compensating the worker or without allowing the worker to turn down the work has been introduced to Parliament today by Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse.
But leading unionist Sam Huggard said the Government was trying to "put out a fire with petrol" and the bill might increase zero-hour contracts.
The Employment Standards Legislation Bill also bans employers from cancelling a shift without reasonable notice or compensation, putting unreasonable restrictions on secondary employment and making unreasonable deductions from employees' wages.
Zero-hour contracts involve work arrangements in which an employer requires someone to be available for work but offers no commitment to a minimum number of hours or compensation for availability.
The bill increases penalties for serious breaches of employment standards; and expands powers of labour inspectors to request information from employers and share information with other regulatory agencies.