A reasonable wage (From Echo)

A reasonable wage

10:51am Monday 18th October 2010 in Advice

My 21 year old son has just started working as a waiter at a local cafe and I'm worried that he's not being paid a reasonable amount. How can I find out?

Your son should be being paid at least £5.93 an hour under National Minimum Wage rules. As of October 1, 2010 that's the new adult rate and the adult rate now starts when the worker is aged 21 years old instead of 22.

Also from October 1, an apprenticeship rate of £2.50 an hour was introduced that should help many others your son's age. This means that an apprentice who is:
- aged under 19 will be entitled to the new apprentice rate of the National Minimum Wage (£2.50 per hour).
- aged 19 or over in the first year of their apprenticeship will be entitled to the new apprentice rate of £2.50 per hour. After that, they are entitled to the normal rate of minimum wage for their age.

From October 1, the rates are:
£5.93 if you're 21 or over
£4.92 if you're 18-20
£3.64 if you're 16-17.

You can get more information and support by visiting www.direct.gov.uk/payandworkrights or calling the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. Information on workplace rights can also be found on the Citizens Advice website adviceguide.org.uk, along with contact details for your nearest CAB.