Part time workers could be missing out on minimum wage rates

New poll shows a third of workers don’t realise it’s not just full time workers who ought to get minimum wage by law

financial wellbeing

 

The minimum wage may have gone up this month but new figures show lots of people are unaware that they are entitled to it.

A new poll has found around a third of workers think only full time employees get the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW) when in fact those working part time and flexibly and in the gig economy are also due the minimum rate.

The NLW applies to those aged over 25  while those younger than that are entitled to the NMW. The top rate hit £8.21 an hour this month one of the highest rates in the world.

Keep to publicise the hike the government commissioned a poll of 2000 people to look at awareness of who is entitled. The survey also covered payslips as new legislation has just come into force that means everyone gets a payslip detailing the hours they’ve worked and what they’ve been paid for that time making it easier for employees to check they are getting the right amount. It’s estimated up to 300,000 extra workers will now receive payslips.

30% of those polled said they thought part time workers were not eligible for the minimum wage.

Qualms

Almost everyone said they understood some of their payslip but four in 10 admitted they didn’t understand all of it.

12% of women and 5% of men said they would not be confident about challenging their employees about their pay. 14% of people polled in the West Midlands said they would think twice before questioning their pay while Scots tended to have no such qualms with just 3% saying they wouldn’t do so.

John Palmer, Senior Advisor at Acas, said, “Workers should check their payslips to ensure they are getting paid at the new national minimum or living wage rates.Employers are breaking the law if they don’t pay the national minimum or living wage and businesses face a maximum fine of £20,000 per worker for not paying.”

Acas has resources for employees and employers to make sure they are doing the right thing on pay.

The poll is part of a £1 million government campaign to publicise the changes to the minimum wage rates, entitlement and the new rules on payslips.





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