National minimum wage increases
The national minimum wage increases from 1 October. Different increases apply to each age band. These are:
- The adult rate for workers who are aged 21 and over will increase from £6.50 to £6.70 per hour.
- The youth development rate for 18- to 20-year-olds will increase from £5.13 to £5.30 per hour.
- The young workers rate for 16- and 17-year-olds who are above compulsory school age will increase from £3.79 to £3.87 per hour.
- The apprentice rate, which applies to all apprentices in year one of an apprenticeship and 16- to 18-year-old apprentices in any year of an apprenticeship, will increase from £2.73 to £3.30 per hour.
Ban on smoking in cars with children
From 1 October, drivers of private cars in England will now be banned from smoking in them if they are carrying children under 18 as passengers. This law is already effective in Wales and Scotland.
The new law means that it will be a criminal offence to smoke, or to allow smoking, in a private vehicle when a person aged under 18 is present.
Employers will need to consider revising their smoking and company car policies, as employees using a company car for family purposes will be affected by the new law.
National roll-out of Fit for Work scheme
National roll-out of the Fit for Work scheme is now complete in England and Wales. Employers as well as GPs are now able to refer employees who have been off work sick for four weeks or more for a free Fit for Work referral. The referral can be made by phone or online.
While it is normally GPs who will make Fit for Work referrals, employers can now also make a referral. For an employer to do this, the employee needs to have been off sick from work for four weeks or more, have a reasonable likelihood of making at least a phased return to work, have not previously been referred for a Fit for Work assessment within the past 12 months, and have provided their prior consent to being referred.
However, if the employee's GP has already made a referral, the employer cannot make one. If there are duplicate referrals, Fit for Work will combine them.
