Life in the UK Test
Chapter 6: Employment
At Work
Both employers and employees have legal
responsibilities towards each other's work. Employers have
to pay employees for the work that they do, treat them fairly
and take responsible care for their health and safety. In
turn Employees should do their work with reasonable care
and to follow all reasonable instructions.
Written contract or statement
Within two months of starting a new job,
your employer should give you a written contract or statement
with all the details and conditions for your work. This
should include your responsibilities, pay, working hours,
holidays, sick pay and pension. It should also include the
period of notice that both you and your employer should give
for the employment to end.
The contract or written statement
is an important document and is very useful if there is
ever a disagreement about your work, pay or conditions.
Pay, Hours and Holidays
Your pay is agreed between you and your
employer. There is a minimum wage in the UK that is a legal
right for every employed person above compulsory school
leaving age of 16 irrespective of what kind of job the person
does.
Different age group has different minimum
wages: for example in October 2006 minimum wages as follows:
- 22 and above - 5.35 an hour
- 18-21 year olds- 4.45 an hour for
- 16-17 year olds- 3.30 an hour
Employers who pay their workers less than this are breaking
the law.
Your employer must give you a pay slip,
or a similar written statement, each time you are paid.
This must show exactly low much money has been taken off
for tax and national insurance contributions.
National Insurance
Almost everybody in the UK who is in paid
work, including self-employed ,people must pay National
Insurance (NI) contributions. Money raised from NI contributions
is used to pay contributory benefits such as the State Retirement
Pension and helps fund the National Health Service(NHS).
Anyone who does not
pay enough NI contributions will not be able to receive
certain benefits, such as Jobseekers Allowance or Maternity
Pay, and may not receive a full state retirement pension.
Getting a National Insurance number
Just before their 16th birthday, all young people
in the UK are sent a National Insurance number. This is
a unique number for each person and it tracks their National
Insurance contributions. Refugees whose asylum applications
have been successful have the same rights to work as any
other UK citizen and to receive a National Insurance Number.
International Students, Workpermit and HSMP holders will
also get NI number but tourists will not.
you can apply for one through Jobcentre
Plus or your local Social Security Office.
Pensions
Everyone in the UK who has paid enough
National Insurance contributions will get a State Pension
when they retire.
The State Pension age for men is currently
65 years of age and for women it is 60. It is very important
to get good advice about pensions. The
.
Pensions Advisory Service gives
free and impartial
advice on occupational and personal pensions .
Independent
financial advisers can also give advice but you usually you
have to pay a fee for this service.
Health and safety
Employers have a legal duty to make sure
the workplace is safe. Employees also have a legal duty
to follow safety regulations and to work safely and responsibly.
If you are worried about health and safety at your workplace,
talk to your supervisor , manager or trade union representative.
You must follow the right procedures and your employer cannot
dismiss you or treat you unfairly for raising a concern.
Trade unions
Trade unions are organisations that aim
to improve the pay and working conditions of their members.
They also give their members advice and support on problems
at work. You can choose whether to join a trade union
or not but your employer cannot dismiss you or treat you
unfairly or being a union member.
Although their functions are almost same,
there are different trade unions for workers in different
industries
You can find details of trade unions
in the UK, the benefits they offer to members and useful
information on rights at work on the Trades Union Congress
(TUC) website Problems at work
Whenever you come across a problem of
any kind at work, speak to your supervisor, manager or union
representative as soon as possible. If you need to take
any action, it is a good idea to get on advice first. If
you area member of a trade union, your representative will
help. You can also contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau
(CAB) or Law Centre. The national Advisory, Conciliation
and Arbitration Service (ACAS) , www.acas.org.uk gives information
on your rights at work.
Losing a job and unfair Dismissal
An employee can be dismissed immediately
for serious misconduct ( Gross Misconduct) at work.
Anyone, who cannot do their job properly,
or is unacceptably late Job absent from work, should be
given a warning by their employer. If their work, punctuality
or attendance does not improve, the employer can give notice
to leave their job.
It is against the law for employers to
dismiss someone from work unfairly. If this happens to you,
or life at work is made so difficult that you feel you have
to leave, you may be able to get compensation if you take
your case to an employment tribunal This
is a court which specialises in employment matters. You
normally only have three months to make a complaint.
If you are dismissed from your job, it
is important to get advice on your case as soon as possible.
You can ask for advice and information and the best action
to take from your trade union representative, a solicitor,
a law Centre or the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Redundancy
If you lose your job because the company
you work for no longer needs someone to do your job, cannot
afford to employ you, you may be entitled to redundancy
pay. The amount of money you receive depends on the length
of time you have been employed
Unemployment
People who become unemployed can claim
Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). This is currently available
for men aged 18-65 and women aged 18-60 who are capable
of working, available for work and trying to find work.
Unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds may not
be eligible for Jobseekers allowance but may be able to
claim a Young Persons Bridging Allowance (YPBA) instead.
The local Jobcentre Plus can help with claims. Further information
can be obtained from the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Jobcentre
Plus .
New Deal
New Deal is a government programme
that aims to give unemployed people the help and support
they need to get into work. Young people who have been unemployed
for 6 months and adults who have been unemployed 18 months
are usually required to join New Deal if they wish to continue
receiving benefit. There are different
New Deal schemes
Working in Europe
British citizens can work in any country
that is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA). In
general, they have the same employment rights as a citizen
of that country or state.
Childcare and children at work
New mothers and fathers
Women who are expecting a baby have a
legal right to time off work for antenatal care. They are
also entitled to at least 26 weeks maternity leave.
These rights apply to full time and part time workers and
it makes no difference how long the woman has worked
for her employer.
It is, however, important to follow the
correct procedures and to give the employer enough notice
about taking maternity leave. Some women may also be entitled
to maternity pay but this depends on how long they
have been working for their employer.
Fathers who have worked for their employer
for at least 26 weeks are entitled to paternity leave
which provides up to two weeks time off from work, with
pay, when the child is born. It is important to tell your
employer well in advance.
Childcare
The government help people with child
care responsibilities to take up work. The
Childcare Link website gives information about different
types of childcare and registered child minders in your area.
ours and time for children at work
In the UK there are strict laws to protect
children from exploitation and to make sure that work does
not get in the way of their education. The earliest
legal age for children to do paid work is set at 14.
There are a few exceptions that allow children under the
age of 14 to work legally and these include specific work
in performing, modelling, sport and agriculture. In order
to do any of this work, it is necessary to get a licence
from the local authority.
By law, children aged 14 to 16 can only
do light work. There are particular jobs they are not
allowed to do and these include delivering milk,
selling alcohol, cigarettes or medicines working in a kitchen
or a chip shop, working with dangerous machinery or doing
any other kind of work that might cause them any kind of
injury. Children who do permitted work have to get
an employment card from their local authority and a medical
certificate of fitness for work.
The law sets out clear limits for the
working hours and times for 14-16 year old children. They
cannot work:
- for more than 4 hours without a one-hour rest break
- for more than 2 hours on any school day
- before 7.a.m. or after 7.a.m in any day
- more than one hour before school starts
- for more than 12 hours in any school week.
15 and 16-year-olds can work slightly more
hours than 14-year-olds on a weekday when they are not at
school, on Saturdays and in school holidays.
Find more information.
Good!
You have now revised all the essential
topics in Chapter 6: Employment.
test your knowledge now.
Practice test on Chapter 6: Employment
