CONTROVERSIAL zero-hour contracts have been publicly slammed by Greenwich Labour councillors - despite being advertised on the council's own website.

The contracts - offering no guaranteed hours or times, meaning employees must always be on call - came under fire from Councillor Matthew Pennycook in June, who wrote in the New Statesman that they "come at too high a price for the overwhelming majority of those employed on them".

And cabinet member for public health Councillor John Fahy took to Twitter this week saying: "Zero hour contracts must end. The public sector must take the lead."

But a string of vacancies for stewards and traffic marshals with zero hour contracts are being advertised on Greenwich Council's website through its own job agency, complete with a council email address to apply to.

Greenwich Conservatives candidate for Blackheath Westcombe Thomas Turrell, who used to work for the council on one of the contracts, said: "This is just another example of how Labour councillors in Greenwich will attack the government but lack the spine to stand up to the leadership of Greenwich Council".

It is not the first time Cllr Pennycook, a parliamentary hopeful who works for living standards researchers the Resolution Foundation, has criticised his council's own pay policies.
In June he wrote in favour of the London Living Wage, despite the failure of council-owned company GS Plus to pay it.

And Unite, which has criticised leisure firm GLL over zero hours contracts, is now asking for council company Greenwich Service Solutions to reveal its position.

Regional officer Onay Kasab said: "It is high time for the hypocrisy to come to an end.

"If the council is committed to good employment practise, it cannot ignore the actions of those companies who either run contracted out services on behalf of the council or where councillors have an influence via board membership."

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said: "The council does not and has not employed anyone on zero hours contracts. We do not support this.

"The council runs an employment project GLLaB which has placed over 16,000 people into work over the past decade and a half.

"Their website offers a range of posts available with employers in order to maximise job opportunities for local people. This has included a range of posts offered by the Mayor of London's Olympic Legacy project.

"Thus far the council has taken the view that it should advertise vacancies outside the council but will review whether to advertise those which operate zero hours. We would support the Mayor of London if he directed the Legacy Board to cease offering zero hours contracts in the first place.

"In the case of Mr Turrell, his contract of employment was with Manpower and not the Council. They have assured us that he was not employed on a zero hours contract. The advert for the post made both of these points clear. Manpower have assured us that timesheets were submitted showing he worked 35 hours a week. Under his contract, Mr Turrell accrued and was paid holiday pay."