Minimum Wage & Holiday Entitlement
Minimum Wage
Under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, all workers are to be
paid at a rate which is not less than the National Minimum Wage (NMW).
There are detailed provisions in the regulations
for the purpose of calulating whether a worker has been paid the NMW.
Rates have increased steadily since since the NMW was introduced in 2001 with an
adult rate of £4.10 per hour. Homeworkers have been covered by the regulations
since October 2004. On October 1st, 2008 the hourly rates were increased to the
following:-
- Workers aged aged 22 and over : £5.73;
- Workers aged 18-21 (and those aged 22 and over doing accredited training in their
first 6 months of employment): £4.77;
- Workers aged 16 and 17 : £3.53.
Holiday Entitlement
The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2007 also come into force on 1 October 2007.
They increase the statutory minmum holiday entitlement from 4 to 4.8 weeks (ie 24 days per annum)
for a full time worker working 5 days per week. This is inclusive of all public holidays. Statutory minimum holiday
entitlement for full time workers will thereafter be increased to 5.6 weeks (ie 28 days)
inclusive of all public holidays as of 1 April 2009.
