A Glasgow MP is trying to prevent workers who refuse a zero-hours contract job having benefits sanctioned by the DWP.

Currently, Universal Credit claimants can be sanctioned and lose money or have benefits stopped if the refuse a job offer.

Previously, under the old system, they were not sanctioned if the job was zero hours but welfare reforms and Universal Credit, which was rolled out across Glasgow last year, ended this.

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Chris Stephens, Glasgow South West SNP MP, has presented a Bill to the House of Commons to change the law and end sanctions for zero hours job refusals.

He said that zero hours contract jobs are exploitative and put families in danger of in-work poverty.

Mr Stephens said: “The UK Government must support my bill and scrap the punitive policy of sanctioning people for refusing a job that would place them in a precarious and exploitative situation – allowing this to become policy under Universal Credit was a reckless move by this callous Tory government.

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“Zero-hours contracts can be used to exploit workers which fundamentally goes against the DWP’s stated intention of making Universal Credit mirror the world of work.

“Mandating that claimants take up or stay in a job with fluctuating hours, and therefore pay, is the height of irresponsibility.

“It is time this Tory government took a leaf out of Scotland’s social security book and treated all social security claimants with dignity and respect.”