New Single Helpline To Protect Vulnerable Workers

UR4Jobs has teamed up with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to launch the first in a series of dedicated columns aimed at providing readers with handy information and advice about issues relating to employment rights.

BIS is committed to protecting and assisting migrant workers and raising awareness of their rights in the workplace. Last month BIS launched the Pay and Work Rights campaign, which embraces a number of activities specifically targeting workers from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia and Bangladesh working legally in the UK. These groups face common barriers that deter them from enforcing the rights they are entitled to by law. Issues may often go unreported by migrant workers due to a lack of confidence in their English language abilities, or a fear that by raising a complaint they may lose their job.

To help overcome such barriers, BIS has developed the Pay and Work Rights (PWR) Helpline. It is a new free service where calls remain confidential and advisors are available in more than 100 languages. Callers just need to let them know which language they need to speak in when calling.

The helpline on 0800 917 2368 offers information and advice about five specific work areas:

National Minimum Wage (NMW)

Not getting the National Minimum Wage of £5.80 an hour? 

Employment Agency Standards (EAS)

Is money taken unfairly from your pay? 

Working Hours

Forced to work more than an average 48 hour week?

Gangmaster’s License Authority (GLA)

Working for a gangmaster and not getting the rights you are entitled to?

Agricultural Minimum Wage (AMW)

Not getting the Agricultural Minimum Wage of £5.81 an hour?

Previously, separate Government bodies were taking calls in each of the above mentioned areas of concern. Now lines have been unified to a single contact point that can deal with multiple complaints. This will help make the process of seeking information and registering a complaint faster, easier and straightforward.

From 1st October 2009 the new rates for the National Minimum wage came into effect. The rates are now £5.80 per hour for workers aged 22 and over, £4.83 for 18-21year olds and £3.57 for those aged 16 and 17. Workers should check that their wages are adjusted to reflect the new rates, so that they continue to receive all the money they are legally entitled to.

 

More information about the National Minimum Wage and the P&WR helpline can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/payandworkrights where you can also download a pdf version of “Want to Know More About Your Rights at Work?”.

Click here to download the PDF copy of this article in English. To download the article in POLISH/ LITHUANIAN/ SLOVAK/ ROMANIAN/ BULGARIAN please click here.