London,
13
August
2013
|
10:37
Europe/London

Hackney's Mayor raises awareness of National Minumum Wage

Hackney's Mayor, Jules Pipe has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the National Minimum Wage amongst employees in the borough.

 

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney
We know that nationally and in our borough, low pay is an ongoing problem in certain jobs and we want workers and their employers to be aware of the National Minimum Wage and the right to receive at least that rate. The Council is also committed to making Hackney a fair pay borough, where no one does a hard day’s work for less than they can reasonably live on. This is why Hackney Council already pays all its directly employed staff the London Living Wage and we are close to ensuring this is the case for all our contracted staff. This is something we have been working hard towards, and we believe we could be the first borough to achieve full LLW-compliance in London.
Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney


Hackney Council will be delivering posters and flyers to to all Council buildings, libraries and other places across the borough telling people what to do if anyone isn’t receiving the National Minimum Wage, but thinks they should be. As well as this it will be using its Twitter and Facebook profiles to get the message out to employees and employers across the borough.

The National Minimum Wage is a legal requirement and all employers must pay this to staff over school leaving age. Councils currently have no powers to enforce against employers that do not pay the National Minimum Wage.

The National Minimum Wage rate per hour depends on age and whether or not someone is an apprentice. The new rates come in to force from 1 October 2013. Anyone aged 21 and over should then receive £6.31*.

Anyone not getting the National Minimum Wage is encouraged to call the Government Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Saturday, 9am to 1pm. The service is free and confidential. The helpline has a free translation service available in over 100 languages. Or visit; www.gov.uk/am-i-getting-minimum-wage


The London Living Wage is paid voluntarily by employers and for 2013 its set at £8.55.

Hackney Council can confirm that when service contracts come up for renewal, companies are required to confirm or provide options for paying at least a London Living Wage to their staff. There are only two contracts left to be subject to this process, once the current contracts expire - Security to be completed this summer and Homecare provision in 2014.