Here is a quick reminder of key employment law changes which came into effect on Monday (1 October 2012).

1. Increase in National Minimum Wage ('NMW') rates

The new increased NMW rates are as follows:

  • Apprentices: £2.65 (from £2.60)
  • For workers aged 16 and 17: £3.68 (unchanged)
  • For workers aged 18 – 20: £4.98 (unchanged)
  • For workers aged 21 and over: £6.19 (from £6.08)
  • Accommodation offset: £4.82 (from £4.73)

2. Auto-enrolment: New Employer Pension Duties

The start of the staging period for auto-enrolment begins, with employers holding a PAYE scheme of 120,000 workers or more now being required to automatically enrol their workers into a qualifying workplace scheme and pay mandatory minimum contributions from today. This duty will be introduced on a staged basis to smaller employers over a five-and-a-half-year period.

© MacRoberts 2012

Disclaimer

The material contained in this article is of the nature of general comment only and does not give advice on any particular matter. Recipients should not act on the basis of the information in this e-update without taking appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.