UK EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS ADVICE
Workers in Britain are entitled to take the benefit of a wide range of UK employment rights that are outlined in legal statutes. Employees are entitled to claim for financial redress when these rights are breached. If an employee wishes to pursue a claim, they should seek advice from a specialist employment law solicitor. It is important to gain effective advice on whether a case is strong enough and, if so, how to proceed. Basic rights include; restrictions on working hours, sufficient holiday time allowance and sick pay. It also incorporates such areas as breaks, national minimum wage, health and safety protection and the option of joining a union.
Working time rights
English law protects employees from being required to work more than 48 hours a week although employees may choose to work more than the 48 hours a week limit. Employees are legally required to provide their employers with written consent when exceeding a 48-hour working week. Employers are prohibited from pressuring workers into consenting to longer hours and from treating an employee unequally if they refuse.
Holiday rights
All employees are entitled to four weeks paid holiday a year. Businesses generally allow employees to choose when to take holiday. However this is not a statutory right, it is a matter of company policy. Most employers do not include national bank holidays as part of the four weeks holiday allowance. It is, however, legal for employers to count bank holidays as part of the annual statutory holiday.
Sick pay
The law ensures employees receive sick pay. The amount and terms of sick pay is dependant on an employee’s contract.
Breaks
All employees working for more than six hours are entitled to a paid rest break of at least 20 minutes.
National Minimum Wage
The National Minimum Wage Act set a legal requirement for certain rates of pay to be met by employers. The amount of pay for all workers aged 22 and over is currently set at a minimum of £5.35 an hour. Workers between 18 and 21 must be paid at least £4.10 an hour. For workers aged between 16 and 17, the minimum hourly rate is £3. These amounts are liable to increase with time and inflation and employees should keep up to date with changes.
Health and Safety protection
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 set out strict guidelines regarding health and safety in the workplace. These employment rights cover all workers and also anyone visiting premises. Employers have a legal responsibility to carry out risk assessments to identify hazards within the workplace. Procedures must be implemented to prevent or reduce dangers found by this process. Businesses failing to follow Health and Safety laws are liable to face a heavy fine or prison sentence and may be shut down. Health and Safety is of paramount importance and breaches are considered extremely serious.
The chance to join a union
Every employee should be given the option of joining a union. It is illegal to discriminate against an employee on the basis of whether they wish to join a union.
We are able to offer a wide range of employment law advice including :-
If you believe you have a claim, it is important to get advice from a solicitor specialising in the field of employment law. The laws governing these issues are complex and overlap with a number of other areas. The specialist knowledge of an expert solicitor is vital in pursuing a claim to the best conclusion. If you would like advice just telephone us for a free initial consultation.
24/7 HELPLINE 0844 800 2831
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