The National Minimum Wage is how much employers have to pay workers per hour by law. Minimum Wage is a way of ensuring that workers get paid what they should do by law, but unfortunately some companies try to get away with paying lower than the minimum wage. On the 1st of October 2013, the national minimum wage went up 12 to £6.31 an hour. The government have been trying to make companies aware of these changes to ensure that they are paying the minimum wage. In 2012 there were 500 employment tribunals based around minimum wage issues.
The recent changes that came into place at the beginning of October are different depending on your age. Here are the current National Minimum Wage rates:
- Adults who are 21 and over get £6.31 an hour which is a 12p increase.
- 18-20 year olds get £5.03 an hour which is a 5p increase.
- 16-17 year olds get £3.72 an hour which is a 4p increase.
- Apprentices get £2.68 an hour which is a 3p increase.
National Minimum Wage Rates Over The Last Few Years
| Year | 21 & over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice |
| 2013 (from Oct) | £6.31 | £5.03 | £3.72 | £2.68 |
| 2012 | £6.19 | £4.98 | £3.68 | £2.65 |
| 2011 | £6.08 | £4.98 | £3.68 | £2.60 |
| 2010 | £5.93 | £4.92 | £3.64 | £2.50 |
The National Minimum wage you are entitled to is dependent on whether you are an apprentice and your age. People of different ages have different minimum wage rights, you have to be at least school leaving age to be entitled to the national minimum wage. You are able to check if you are getting the minimum wage and if you are not getting the correct amount you should point this out to your employer, and report them if they don’t pay you fairly. Don’t assume that you are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage just because you are employed by a small company, these restrictions apply to all companies no matter what size they are. You can also check to see if your employee owes you money from previous jobs where they have failed to pay you the minimum wage.
It also does not matter how you are paid, such as monthly, weekly or by cash. The same rules also apply whether you work part time or full time. If you have signed a contract which states you agree to be paid less money then you still have nothing to worry about, you are still entitled to be paid the correct rate of pay. These sorts of contracts don’t have legal effect over the National Minimum Wage laws. Unfortunately workers are often persuaded to sign something like this when they join a company, and they assume that they have signed their rights away. Employers can easily persuade workers that they can only pay them a limited amount if the worker is not aware of their minimum wage rights. If you are concerned or unsure whether or not you are entitled to minimum wage then click here http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/employment/employment-terms-and-conditions/the-national-m
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