Record £15.6 million underpayment identified for workers on the minimum wage READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-156-million-underpayment-identified-for-workers-on-the-minimum-wage

Can someone answer this please as a part-time worker if you ask for time off for a hospital appointment are you expected to make up the time lost? No contract of employment in place.

National Living Wage workers set for £600 pay rise from 1 April READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-living-wage-workers-set-for-600-pay-rise-from-1-april

Update for Carillion workers: claiming redundancy payments READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-for-carillion-workers-claiming-redundancy-payments--2

Nearly 180 employers named and shamed for underpaying thousands of minimum wage workers READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nearly-180-employers-named-and-shamed-for-underpaying-thousands-of-minimum-wage-workers

National Minimum Wage: Workers win £2m compensation READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40952205

Per Chancellor Hammond: "We have over three million European migrants working in our economy and we have full employment. So clearly we need people to come and work in our economy to keep it functioning" in response to suggestion that “the impression on the European continent is that your government sees the future business model of the UK as being the tax haven of Europe”. http://uk.businessinsider.com/philip-hammond-suggests-britain-could-become-a-tax-haven-after-brexit-2017-1?r=US&IR=T

Hey Folks Mystery Shoppers will shortly be introduced at the restaurant I work in, They will be filming the server covertly, whilst we know this will happen we obviously don't know when. I've looked around online but most conversations veer off into CCTV territory....not quite the same...can we refuse to allow this? My interpretation of the DPA would be that this is excessive for what it's being used for....I've also seen that they can't replay the video without permission or an exhibition license? Whilst the server is being covertly filmed, I would assume the whole meal is filmed, so what would the implications be for other servers eg those bringing you your food and indeed other customers who will surely be caught in the filming process... Any advice appreciated!

Ian Hislop has revealed the "very extraordinary moment" that former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith broke down in tears in front of him. The Have I Got News For You panellist was interviewing the Tory politician for a new BBC documentary, Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits, when Duncan Smith cried on camera. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-04-04/ian-hislop-reveals-extraordinary-moment-iain-duncan-smith-cried-in-new-bbc-documentary

Hello there.... advice sought please. I have been working for an agency for 14 weeks now on minimum wage, I am aware that after 12 weeks in the same job you should be entitled to the same wage as permanent staff in a comparable position. So, I emailed my agency contact and this was the reply: "I was passed an email from you with regards to parity rates when you have worked your 12th week. Your friend is right to some degree, if a client has a person who works the same job on a fulltime contract with the same job specification then you would be entitled to earn the same wage as the fulltime member of staff. However with (name removed) this is not the case as we do not have a comparator so as a result there is nobody to match your wage against so you would stay at the same rate of pay I’m afraid." Fair enough you might say but I'm doing the exact same job as the guy who gets paid a lot more than me to do it!!! What I'm asking then is, is there anything I can do about it? My fear is that they will suddenly find I am no longer suitable for the job if I make a fuss about it. I am looking for permanent work but in the meantime I don't want to find myself on the dole for being a "troublemaker", and to be honest I rather like this job. It would just be nice to get a living wage from it. Thanks in advance and apologies if I have posted in the wrong place xx

Unsure if this is the correct thread to give a warning regarding Tesco refunding, just wish to vent somewhere:madgrin: One Saturday evening (15Jun 2013), I went to a Tesco local store and purchased a food item On way home, realised that I had forgotten to buy something and did a small diversion to my nearest Tesco superstore. I saw that the same food item purchased in the local store was cheaper at the superstore So I requested a refund An assistant called the Duty Manager, who arrived, listened then said: "Can't give a refund because our system will only give you back the price we're selling it for and so you'll lose out. Go back to the local store and get your refund there" I went back the next day (Sunday) to the same superstore and got the refund - in full! So how can there be no refund on Sat BUT it can be given on Sun in the same Tesco store??? Placing a complaint using the Tesco website, I got an email acknowledgment with a reference number AND option to resolve on Tesco Twitter or Facebook Telephoning for a chase up with my complaint yesterday, was given a reference number saying someone will call me today Today, got a phone call saying "Without a name, nothing we can do and it is too late to find out the member of staff's name as it was 17 days ago” Oh please! I said “it’s not even a month yet! Haven’t you got staff records of who was working or not?" (I had given them the time and date) Are you really telling me you have no record and don’t know who was the Duty Manager that night? She continued, "I’ve rang the store to advise them about staff conduct and remind them about issuing refunds" So, let my tale be a reminder that the onus is on you to get the name of any member of staff whether giving a compliment or a complaint how you've being treated because it seems Tesco doesn’t know the work rota of their staff! Even with a 'name', still doesn't excuse the fact that a Tesco representative made up her own rule because in my opinion 'couldn't be asked to do any work'. She had been called from round the back and stank of heavy smoke on her breathe and persona whilst talking to me Did I disturb her from her ciggie break or skiving? (Hey nothing against smokers ) Only she can say...

Hi I have a couple of queries about holiday pay if anyone could please help please. My husband was made redundant in July from a permanent position, he is lucky to have found another permanent job to start in September and meanwhile he has worked several temp jobs here and there. Previous permanent position - basically he worked for this company for 7 years, he moved to another job for three months & hated it so went back, they were glad to have him back but one day before his three month 'probabtionary period' he & many others were made redundant out of the blue. During his three months back he only had the bank holidays off so two days. He is entitled to 20 days plus bank holidays per year. His letter informing him of his redundancy states that as he was in his probabtionary period (by one day) he is not entitled to be paid for any holiday owed. Is this right? I thought I read that holiday rights accrue from day one? Temp job 1 - only worked six hours at min wage so assume holiday pay would be very little. Temp job 2 - offered 6.94 hour but when payslip turned up it shows hourly rate 6.19 + holiday rate 0.75 per hour. I assume that this is them mis-informing my husband & there's not much we can do. Temp job 3 - 30 hours, payslip shows 6.19 per hour, no mention of holiday pay. Is holiday pay accrued from when you start? Temp job 4 - this is where he has had the most work, payslip shows £7 per hour, total 126 hours, there is no mention of holiday pay, no split of the pay rate etc. Should he therefore be entitled to holiday pay on this? Thanks for reading & taking the time to reply! Lennylegs

hi Im looking for some advice and as this site was so helpful to me on a previous occassion i thought id come here first, the problem i have is as follows... I have worked as an industrial cleaner in a food processing factory for two and a half years now, for the first 2 year the job was good my aprailsals were A+ for work, attitude, attendance my relationship with my supervisor was excellent. From the begining of this year all the staff on the cleaning section have been having trouble getting holidays as every time we submitted a holiday form it was rejected by the supervisor who would state that she was of then and 2 people cant be of at the same time as theres only 5 in the cleaning section. Our working week includes saturday and sunday and the supervisor was using her full holiday entitlement 28 days by taking only saturdays and sundays of leaving very little scope for the 5 remaining cleaners to book there holidays, then january the supervisor told the company she was leaving for another job she had been offered but had to wait for a crb check to be confirmed and didnt put in any notice to quit. I was aproached by the MD of the company to ask if i would put in for the position when she left as i had acted as unpaid deputy supervisor in her absence. When my supervisor found out i was to replace her there was a sudden change of attitude and became very distant and reluctant to speak then march of this year she anounced that she wont be leaving after all and this is where the problems really started. My work load was increased so much that it was physicaly impossible to complete so a complaint was put in by her an interview was arranged with her manager and i explained what was starting to happen and would he keep an eye on the situation. Since then i have probably been in the managers office atleast 10 times for minor complaints and all the while i explained the situation and what the supervisor was doing and she was trying to provoke me into reacting and looseing my temper whitch i never have. Then june this year i tried to put in for a weeks holiday and was promptly told you cant have that week of as im of saturday and sunday i asked politely if it would be possible for us to have a calender put up in our canteen so we could check who is on holiday when and it would save a lot of confusion and arguments, the reaction i got was explosive, she lost control and started into me infront of my workmates with a torrent of abuse and bad language that went on for atleast 5 minutes. I asked her not to swear or speak to me in that tone as she wouldnt like to be spoken to like that she then told all 4 of us in the canteen to f - off out the building and stormed of. We returned to work and the next day i had a word with her manager but was fobbed of by him making up an excuse for her behaviour i then submitted a grievance the next day only to be told she had also done the same so it would be treated all as one, the very next day i was informed while at work that i was wanted by a senior manager in the main board room for my grievance hearing having not even been giving 24 hours notice i was interviewed about the incedent and all through the interview the chair person constantly made an excuse or gave a reason for her behaviour over the past 6 month. The grievance however went in my favour and i was informed in writeing of this but there was nothing to say what steps were going to be taken by the company to make sure this didnt happen again or if any discaplinary action would be taken, i aproached the senior manager who conducted the grievance hearing to ask what was going to be done and was told she didnt have to tell me anything and it was up to the supervisor herself if she wanted to apologise. Later the same day i was again taken into the boardroom with the same senior manager and subjected to an hour interview recorded on tape it soon became clear that i was the main subject and she was looking for ways to try and blame me the underlying issues for the supervisors behaviour i submitted a letter stateing i felt i was being victamised for bringing the supervisors bullying and abuseive behaviour to there attention... any advice is gladly welcomed thanks ..geordie

In yet another humiliating court defeat for Iain Duncan Smith, thousands of sacked Jobcentre staff may be entitled to compensation due to an employment tribunal ruling that they were unlawfully sacked. Story http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/jobcentre-illegally-sacked-thousands-of-workers/ As the article states I wonder if IDS will attempt to retrospectively change the law on this one.

If a groundworkers contract states 40 hours a week, no mention of adverse weather arrangements etc., and the person arrives for work to be sent home as the site is frozen, am I right in thinking that they are entitled to be paid? Many thanks.

Hi Are there any housing benefit staff that come on here? I am getting so frustrated at the moment, apart from still waiting for my first months accounts back (last april) I don't feel I can improve in my self employed work. I know I can make more profit but am too scared to. I am down for £100 per week profit self employed, that's what my housing benefit is based on & am now scared to go over that. But I want to build the business up! I don't understand how it all works with housing benefit. I only have to pay £26 per week towards my rent at the moment. I don't mind paying more, but I can't guarantee that EVERY month I will make more than £100 a week profit. So if I get my income re set to say £150 per week, I am then tied into earning that every week? Can anyone give me advice on this as common sense isn't my strongest point, & maybe I am missing something? I have a self employed friend in a different part of the country doing the same business & she says her housing benefit is set at a certain amount & doesn't change for the year no matter what she earns. But I have no idea if it's the same everywhere? I did ask the housing benefit woman at my self employed interview at the council about it when I first claimed last april, but I didn't really get a clear answer..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20624552

http://news.sky.com/story/1010626/workers-to-be-able-to-ask-for-flexible-hours

I hope I have posted this in the right forum. My mate's child who is mentally disabled attends a special school. A mark/scab was noticed by his mother and the child said it had occured at school. My mate asked the school they denied that any incident has occured. The school have contacted social services, who have been round to see the parents twice (and inspected the property), and are saying the child needs to be taken into hospital for a special check up. At first, the parents disagreed because the social workers said they will take the child and some disclaimer forms must be signed, after much debate the social workers said you can bring the child to the hospital and they will meet them there. The parents took the child to the hospital, however the Dr had a lengthy discussion with the social workers before asking the child and parents to come in. The Dr had further forms for the parents to sign giving the hospital permission to release information to any relevant authorities such as social security/court etc. Again, the parents weren't happy about this, and the Dr did not even check the child. The social have said they will get a court order if they need to despite the child being 18 years old with a mental disability. The parents have said the following: 1) They feel violated and that if the blame is being pointed at them since their house/living conditions are being inspected 2) Why do they have to sign discliaimer forms for one to be medically examined? 3) The presence and lenghty discussion of the social workers with the Dr, why do the social workers need to be present since the medical report will go them, it seems to the parents that they want the Dr to write in the report what the social workers want in there! 4) If the parents harmed the child (As the social services are indicating) they wouldnt have reported the case to school asking of any incidents occured in the first place! Any light shed on this matter will be great, as the social services can be a handful.

Lets say this is an hypothetical question. I work in a care home, all care assistants are on the same pay per hour £6.08, as far as I know. We are all NVQ2,and all do the same job. What if it was known that 2 members of staff are on more per hour, namely £6.50, these 2 are what we would call the managers favourites. Lets say a document was accidentally read by a another staff member in the managers office, while they were speaking to them there, which stated certain staff and how much per hour beside their names. I do not think anything is mentioned in our contracts about performance related pay rises. If say this were true, that certain members of staff were paid more than others,what would the implications, legalities be,would it be allowed, or fellow workers have a right to question this, but only if there was definite proof.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160388/Controversial-plan-stop-striking-workers-receiving-tax-credits.html?ito=feeds-newsxml