THE number of staff employed by Wiltshire Council on zero-hours contracts has risen by more than a third in the last two years.

The Conservative run council currently hires 391 people on zero-hours contracts, eight per cent of their 4,749 strong workforce, whereas in 2014 there were only 287 on their books.

A spokesperson for the council said more than 80 per cent of the 391 staff are employed as coaches, instructors and activity assistants in the leisure services. These are often in roles impractical for regular contracts, such as a self-employed yoga instructor.

"The fact that Wiltshire Council has increased the number of zero hours contracts by more than 100 is to be strongly deplored," said Fiona Farmer, the Unite Union national officer for local government.

"As a union, we are against the use of such contracts as they create a world of insecure work and provide very few employment rights.

"If a job is needed to be done, it should be done by a member of staff with the whole range of employment protections.

"We are firmly against the creation of a two-tier workforce which does nothing to enhance the public services that the people of Wiltshire rely on a daily basis."

Zero-hours contracts, or casual contracts, allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work.

They mean employees work only when they are needed by employers, often at short notice, with their pay depending on how many hours they work.

Some zero-hours contracts require workers to take the shifts they are offered, while others do not but sick pay is often not included.