Like virtually every country, the UK has a set certain rules and regulations for employing people. These rules are almost similar for British and foreign citizens, except for certain rules that take care of immigration and visa related issues.
Employment rules in UK can broadly be classified into three major categories listed below.
Minimum Pay Rules
Employment Conditions and Contracts
Working hours and conditions
These three regulations have to be met by any employer in UK, if he intends to run his organization smoothly and legally. The UK government has set a minimum wage for all people. Every organization has to pay their workers the minimum wage set by the government, depending upon the age and job of the employee. The minimum wage may differ for regular and contract employees. Regular employees may get a higher daily wage than the contract or hired employees.
Employment conditions and contracts pay emphasis on the conditions under which an organization has hired its employees.
At the time of joining the company, the employer asks his employee to sign a job contract. The job contract must meet the guidelines set by the UK government. The employer must provide salary slips, sick leave, travel allowances and most importantly safety insurance. If the job condition is risky and involves risks of accidents, the employer must equip his employee with security gear and cover him under an insurance policy. Similarly, the employee cannot leave his job unannounced before the contract expires. Both parties must give prior notice to each other before terminating the job.Lastly, the working hours and working conditions must be safe, secure and healthy. If an employer asks his employee to work overtime, he or she must be paid for it. Work conditions must not have any side effect on the health of employee. If the job conditions are risky and unhygienic, proper care must be taken to minimize the risk involved.
As far as foreign workers are concerned, they are subjected to more rules. In the wake of terrorist activities, the government has made its immigration policy stricter. Foreign workers must stick to the visa and work guidelines and any breach of the rule may result in ending their work contract instantaneously. The payment options may also differ for the foreign workers. The employment rules are not only meant for the employers and it becomes the duty of the employees to abide by the rules to maintain a good work relationship.