Posted on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 at 10:44 am
New legislation from 1 October: make sure you are legal
A number of changes to business legislation came into force on 1 October 2010 - Are you up to date??
1. National minimum wage
For pay reference periods (PRPs) beginning on or after 1 October 2010, you will have to pay all eligible workers the following:
• £5.93 an hour to workers aged 21 and above (’the main rate’)
• £4.92 an hour to workers aged 18-20
• £3.64 an hour to workers aged below 18 who are no longer of compulsory school age
It’s important to note that the age threshold for the main rate is going to fall from 22 (as it is currently) to 21.
There are also changes affecting the national minimum wage for apprentices and allowances for providing living accommodation.
2. Employment equality law
The Equality Act 2010 brings together separate pieces of current anti-discrimination legislation within a single Act. Most of the provisions in the Act take effect in October 2010 although further changes are anticipated in April 2011.
The Equality Act covers the same groups that are protected by existing equality legislation - age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity - but extends some protections to groups not previously covered, and also strengthens particular aspects of equality law.
While obligations remain largely the same as under previous anti-discrimination legislation, there are key changes coming into force which employers should be aware of.
The Act aims to provide a simpler, more consistent and more effective legal framework for preventing discrimination.
3. Equality law in the provision of goods and services
The Equality Act 2010 will also have some impact on the ways that businesses sell and market their products.
4. Your business sector
A number of other pieces of legislation affect businesses in certain sectors:
• organic produce importing
• construction
• recruitment agencies and personnel supply
• licensed premises
• motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts manufacturing (EU)
• explosives manufacturing and wholesale (EU)
• agriculture
