Irregular work

Work in which periods of activity alternate with periods of inactivity.

Intermittent work gives rise either to a succession of fixed-term contracts whose lawfulness is sometimes contested, or to a single contract, fixed-term or of indefinite duration, in which provision is made for the intermittent nature of the work.
(adapted from European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Intermittent Work, visited 2009-05-19)