Employment law advice on national minimum wage legislation

Over 90 per cent of the world's countries have some kind of minimum wage legislation – it was formally introduced to the UK in 1999. Peninsula explains who is eligible for national minimum wage, and what businesses need to know about it, in this employment law advice guide.

The UK minimum wage is a legal obligation for the majority of businesses, no matter how many employees they have and what kind of work they do. National minimum wage as of 1st October 2011 is £3.68 per hour for young workers aged 16 and 17, £4.98 for 18-20 year olds, and £6.08 for employees aged 21 and over. These rates apply to trainees, those who work from home, foreign workers and agency workers. In October 2012, the national minimum wage is set to increase again.

The only exemptions from national minimum wage are for self-employed people, apprentices, company directors and members of the armed forces. Of course, it's also important to remember that 48 hours per week (including overtime) is the maximum working time permitted for adult workers, unless their contracts state otherwise.

Having the advice of an expert can prove invaluable when it comes to ensuring the fair and legally compliant treatment of employees, whether it's sick leave, holiday pay, working hours or national minimum wage. Clients can access an extensive library of online employment law resources as part of Peninsula's HR outsourcing services, in addition to the 24 hour employer law advice hotline for emergencies. An easy-to-use attendance and holidays calendar is also provided along with bespoke employment documentation.

For employer law advice regarding national minimum wage or any other topic, call our team of specialist advisors for free on 0800 328 9348 or visit the Peninsula website.

If you are a member of the media and need any further assistance, would like to discuss case studies for a particular feature, or be added to our media contact list, feel free to contact Sammual-James McLoughlin, head of media, press and public relations at Peninsula, on 0161 827 8511 or sammualjamesmcloughlin@gmail.com.

Website: http://www.peninsula-uk.com/

Peninsula is the leading provider of employment law and health and safety services in the UK. Established since 1983, we have around 25,000 businesses who have already integrated Peninsula to work as part of their HR and Health and Safety departments. Headquartered in Manchester, Peninsula employs 900 people across the UK and Ireland. Our sheer size ensures that we can attract, and retain, the very best people from the HR, Health and Safety and Legal Services industries to come and work for Peninsula. Our financial strength allows us to offer the services and skill of our specialist people to work for our clients at an absolute fraction of the real cost.