There are nine Low Pay Commissioners who make recommendations to the government on National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. Four of the Commissioners recently visited Birmingham for a meeting with businesses and individuals. Following the visit, they posted a blog.
They said that meetings, such as the one in Birmingham, help them to prepare themselves to make their recommendations. Of course, they have access to the best economic data, statistics and evidence sessions with academics, but the real-life experience of real people who are in low paid jobs helps them to stay in touch with what’s working and what needs more attention.
It is now accepted that the National Living Wage has led to the largest fall in numbers of people in low pay for decades, and the National Minimum Wage has all but eliminated extreme low pay. But the Commissioners say there can be no complacency. There are still a lot of improvements to be made, not least of all in the less visible end of the labour market. For example, some MP’s are calling for a licensing scheme for Hand Car Wash Businesses.
The Commissioners also heard complaints from employers who were concerned that HMRC were being heavy handed in investigations and taking benefits away from employees, that the employers say they are entitled to, such as the salary sacrifice scheme. The Commissioners will be discussing this with HMRC.
Calculating pay, especially for people who are on zero hours contracts or short hour contracts with unpredictable shift patterns can be a challenge for the most dedicated in-house payroll clerk. Good employers want to ensure that their staff get the correct salary and benefits, with the least amount of paperwork and certainty that the calculations are correct. Talk to us about outsourcing your payroll to All Payrolls, our head office is in Birmingham, but we work across the UK.