New National Minimum Wage Rates
The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 came into force on 1 April and provided for the following changes to the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum…
Apr 01, 2025
The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 came into force on 1 April and provided for the following changes to the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates:
- The NLW, which applies to those aged 21 and over, will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour;
- The NMW for 18- to 20-year-olds will increase from £8.60 to £10.00 per hour;
- The NMW for 16- and 17-year-olds will increase from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour; and
- The apprentice rate of the NMW, which applies to apprentices aged under 19 or those aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship, will increase from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour.
The accommodation offset will increase from £9.99 to £10.66 per day for each day during the pay period that accommodation is provided.
Employment – The COVID-19 Chickens are Coming Home to Roost
Many businesses confronted by the existential crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic took swift steps to shed staff. However, as an Employment Tribunal (ET) ruling showed, the requirements of employment law were not suspended and, for those who failed to comply with them, the chickens are now coming home to roost.
The case concerned a graphic designer who was made redundant a few days after the first lockdown came into force. His employer, a small company, experienced a precipitous decline in sales…
Unconventional NHS Job Interview Infected by Discrimination, ET Rules
Many employers understandably prefer an informal atmosphere when interviewing job candidates. However, as an Employment Tribunal (ET) ruling showed, there is always a risk that such an approach may leave room for bias or discrimination to creep unintentionally into the selection process.
The case concerned a man of mature years who applied to an NHS trust for a post as a project manager. The five candidates were encouraged to make original, fun yet thoughtful and punchy presentations. In…
Dismissal for Failure to Disclose Earlier Dismissal Not Unfair
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has rejected a man’s appeal against a decision that he had not been unfairly dismissed for failing to disclose a previous dismissal and a subsequent three-month employment gap on his job application.
The man had started working for the Home Office in 2002. In 2016 he was dismissed for gross misconduct. He brought Employment Tribunal (ET) proceedings and a conciliation settlement was reached, the terms of which did not alter the basis of his dismissal. In…