New government helpline ‘to strengthen employment law’

Posted 22/09/2009

The government has launched a new helpline designed to provide workers with more power to enforce their rights under employment law.

Marginalised employees have been encouraged by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to contact the new Pay and Work Rights service in order to take advice on a number of issues.

Among the legal entitlements to be safeguarded by the advice line are the rights to minimum wage and acceptable working conditions and hours.

Those who feel that they have been mistreated by an employer will also be able to use the helpline to report abuses.

The service has already been welcomed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which said the helpline will also prove a boon to employers.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said it will help in “promoting fair competition and preventing good employers from being undercut by bad ones using unlawful practices”.