Contemporary Developments in Employment Relations Free Essay Example, 1000 words

In the 1970s, the country moved towards individual employment rights. This coupled with the entry of UK into the European Common Market drove the country away from voluntarist employment relations to increased regulation especially when labour government took over power in 1997. This led to the first UK national minimum wage regulated under the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act of 1998. The current NMW rates depend on age and apprenticeship and include: Â £ 6.31 for workers aged 21+; 5.03 for those 18-20, 3.72 for those below 18 but above school leaving age and 2.68 for apprentices (Fields 2007: 44). These rates are reviewed by the Low Pay Commission every year and enforced by the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). NMW includes: income tax, national insurance contributions, wage advances or loans, accommodation and penalty charges for misconduct among others (www. gov. uk). Those not entitled to NMW include: self-employed, company directors, volunteers, those aged below 16 (school leavin g age), armed forces, prisoners and people living and working in religious communities. Beside the NMW, the government also regulates working time to avoid exploitation of employees by employers. We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Developments in Employment Relations or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Some employers if not regulated can make workers work for long hours. These regulations limit average working week, statutory entitlement to paid leave, normal day and night hours, and special regulations for young workers (ACAS 2014). They apply to all types of workers whether part-time or full-time. Working Time Regulations or working time directive entitles a worker to work an average of 48 hours a week unless they opt out, 5.6 paid leave a year, 11 consecutive hours rest in 24-hour period, one day off each week and for night workers to have regular health assessments. Young workers are supposed to work 8 hours a day, 40 hours per week and are entitled to two days off per week (ACAS 2014). The coalition government also gave workers the right to request flexible working so that they can balance life and work. This includes flexitime, shift work, and home working. Normal working hours should be set out in the employment contract. However, an except ion applies to armed forces, domestic servants in private households, and certain categories of seafarers. Employers must also not allow some groups of workers to opt out of the 48 hours such as the airline staff, security guards, ship workers, and workers in road transport industry as their services are essential always and not easy to replace while on transit (www. gov. uk).