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National Minimum Wage
Free public seminars to explain the new Minimum Wage rights
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010The Minimum Wage (Guernsey) (Law), 2009 comes into force on 1 October 2010 and, from that date, workers must not be paid less than the approved hourly rate, namely £4.25 for workers up to age 18 and £6 for those age 19 and above. To provide the public with practical guidance on rights, obligations, and [...]
Changes to apprentice rules from October 2010
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010The changes proposed in the Low Pay Commission’s eleventh National Minimum Wage Report were accepted by the Coalition government in June and included a new minimum rate for apprentices. The Regulations introducing the arrangements for apprentices were made on 22 July and come into force from 1 October 2010. Current rules Currently, apprentices are either [...]
Travel and subsistence expenses schemes – National Minimum Wage
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010Alongside the 2009 Pre-Budget Report, the Government announced that it intended to address the problem of potentially exploitative arrangements that are implemented for some temporary workers paid at or near the National Minimum Wage (NMW). In February 2010, HM Treasury published a consultation document, entitled National Minimum Wage workers: Travel and subsistence expenses schemes, which [...]
National Minimum Wage – DEFRA announces abolition of Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales
Monday, July 26th, 2010On 22 July, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced reforms to 30 of its public delivery bodies. Included in the reforms is the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. There are currently three Agricultural Wages Boards; for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland. They [...]
Scottish Agricultural Wages Board – Proposed wage increases from October 2010
Monday, July 19th, 2010The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) has proposed the following increases in the minimum hourly rates payable from 1 October 2009, from £5.80 to £5.96 per hour for those in their first 26 weeks of employment, from £6.32 to £6.51 for those employed for more that 26 weeks by the same employer, and from £3.50 [...]
Jersey: Minimum Wage – Public consultation on 2011 increase
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010The Employment Forum is seeking views on whether the minimum wage should be increased in 2011 and whether there should be a lower minimum rate for young people. Currently, the minimum wage is £6.20 per hour, and £4.65 per hour for trainees. Responses must be received by 27 August 2010 to allow time for the [...]
National Minimum Wage – Low Pay Commission terms of reference for 2011 Report
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010In March 2010, the Low Pay Commission (LPC) published its eleventh National Minimum Wage Report. The recommendations for an increase of approximately 2% in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates from October 2010 were accepted by the Labour government at the time. Draft Regulations have been published which, in addition to increasing the rates to [...]
Can my employer deduct money from my wages?
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010(UK relevant – Pre-tax deductions, statutory deductions, voluntary regular deductions, deduction in retail employment, one-off deductions, exempt deductions, how to make a complaint) There is no easy answer to this question. You are advised to read this article in full before deciding whether you think a particular deduction from your wages is lawful or not. [...]
Company Cars – Car provided for lower-paid employees
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010When a company car is provided for the private use of a member of an employee’s family or household, the tax charge normally falls on the employee. Exceptionally, there is no tax liability on the employee in the following situations. The car is provided in the course of normal family relationships and the car is [...]
Scotland: Agricultural Wage Rates – Wages Board publishes proposals for October 2010 increases
Thursday, May 20th, 2010On 7 May, the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board published its proposals for new wage rate from October 2010. The basic rate of pay for agricultural workers with more than 26 weeks continuous employment will increase by 19p per hour to £6.51 bringing the minimum wage for a 39-hour week to £253.89. The proposed hourly rates [...]
Guernsey: Minimum Wage – Wage rate proposals for October 2010
Friday, May 7th, 2010The first Regulations to be made under the provisions of the Minimum Wage (Guernsey) Law, 2009 will be the Minimum Wage (Prescribed Rates and Qualifications) (Guernsey) Regulations, 2010. They are currently in draft form and, if approved by the States, will introduce Guernsey’s first minimum wage rates from 1 October 2010. The Regulations make the following proposals: the [...]
Regulatory Change up to April 2011 – Government updates detailed programme for change
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010In a detailed document published on 26 March, the Government has updated its programme of regulatory change from April 2010 onwards. The first “Forward Programme” was published in October 2009 and listed some 380 measures planned up to April 2011, with over 100 further measures that did not have an implementation date. The new document [...]
Northern Ireland: Agricultural Wages in Northern Ireland – New rates and employment terms from 5 April 2010
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010On 15 March 2010, the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland agreed to increases of 1.8% for agricultural workers across all grades. The new rates, which take effect from Monday, 5 April, are as follows: Grade 1 – Minimum rate, for the first 40 weeks cumulative employment – £5.90 Grade 2 – Standard worker – [...]
Salary Sacrifice Schemes – Employer-supported childcare
Thursday, April 1st, 2010In December 2009, HMRC published guidance for employers about two tax exemptions and their use in conjunction with salary sacrifice schemes. One of the statutory conditions for the provision of cycles and cyclists’ safety equipment and of financial support for public bus services is that they must be made available generally to employees of the [...]
National Minimum Wage – Government confirms new rates from October 2010
Thursday, April 1st, 2010The latest recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC) for an increase of approximately 2% in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates from October 2010 have been accepted by the Government and are confirmed as follows. A new apprentice rate is introduced for the first time and, as previously announced, the adult rate applies from [...]
National Minimum Wage – Consultation on travel and subsistence expenses for temporary workers
Thursday, February 18th, 2010Alongside the 2009 Pre-Budget Report, the Government announced that it intended to address the problem of potentially exploitative arrangements that are implemented for some temporary workers paid at or near the National Minimum Wage (NMW). HM Treasury has now published a consultation document, entitled National Minimum Wage workers: Travel and subsistence expenses schemes, which explains [...]
Isle of Man: Employment Law – Update for 2010
Thursday, February 18th, 2010The Department of Trade & Industry has issued the following employment law updates: The guide Isle of Man Employment Rights and Responsibilities: a Guide for Employers, Employees and Workers has been revised and expanded. Recent changes include new work permit exemptions the Employment Tribunal Rules 2008 new compensation limits new minimum wage rates the Points [...]
National Minimum Wage – New HMRC team to respond to cases of underpayment
Friday, January 15th, 2010From January 2010, HMRC’s new Dynamic Response Team will work on the most high profile and complex National Minimum Wage cases faced by HMRC, particularly in areas where employers are using migrant labour to undercut competitors by paying below the minimum wage. The team, made up of highly-trained specialist officers, is funded from the Department [...]
Expenses and Benefits – Cycle-to-Work Schemes
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009Section 244 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 provides exemption from income tax on the provision of a cycle or cyclist’s safety equipment, irrespective of how it is provided, as long as the specified conditions are met. The exemption, which also applies to National Insurance contributions, has prompted the creation of “cycle-to-work” [...]
National Minimum Wage – National minimum wage and “travel schemes”
Friday, December 18th, 2009The 2009 Pre-Budget Report documents announced that HMRC and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are to consult early in 2010 on proposed changes to the National Minimum Wage Regulations to tackle the issues raised by so-called “travel schemes”. Such “travel schemes” are operated by labour providers and “umbrella companies” in order to [...]
