It was reported that over half of all hospitality workers (53%) in the hospitality sector were on the zero-hours contracts, according to ONS research published in February.
It was estimated that 1.8 million workers were on the contracts in August 2014, higher than the previous report in January, likely due to the number of seasonal workers used in the summer months.
A Labour government would now pass a law that gives employees the right to a regular contract after 12 weeks of working regular hours.
During a speech at David Brown Gears in Huddersfield, Labour leader Ed Miliband said: “There is no greater symbol of an economy that doesn’t work than zero-hours contracts.
“We have an epidemic of zero-hours contracts in our country - there’s been a 20% increase in the last year alone - undermining hard work, undermining living standards, undermining family life.
Conservatives said that the move would be a threat to jobs and claimed that only 2% of workers were on zero-hours contracts and nearly 40% of them already worked full-time.
Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable also criticised the move, he told BBC2’s Daily Politics: "I just don't see the Miliband proposals as being practical because we know there are large numbers of companies that don't have constant work and there are large numbers of people who prefer flexibility.”
The British Hospitality Association (BHA) supports the use of zero-hours contracts as long as both the employer and employee have agreed flexible working opportunities, with the employee having the freedom of choice.
Martin Couchman, chief executive of BHA, said: “Zero hours contracts are intended to give employees flexibility so they can have a job without committing to full time availability. They’re a great option for students, those taking care of family or people with other commitments. The name is a misnomer. The industry supports mutually agreed flexible working opportunities, so long as it's a non-exclusive relationship and the employee has the freedom of choice.”