Category: North Edinburgh News

Polar Bears at Potterrow!

Fiona Manson (left) and Eilidh MacAskill (right), are performing in the relaxed performances of The Polar Bears Go Up at The Studio, 22 Potterrow this week for pupils of Edinburgh’s special schools. The show about two intrepid polar bears and their journey into space is touring to Cumnock, Stirling and Greenock in February.

Picture: Phil Wilkinson

‘Yuck … I’m not eating THAT!’

Broccoli and cauliflower are back on the menu

A campaign to help Scottish parents get greens on plates launched this week as new research revealed almost a third (29 per cent) of parents surveyed have at some point given up trying to feed their children vegetables. Continue reading ‘Yuck … I’m not eating THAT!’

Letters: The dangers of misplaced nationalism

Dear Editor

Where one is born usually decides their nationality, how one feels about the nation can depend on many circumstances, but usually deep down there is a feeling of belonging. Sometimes it can develop into a nationalism of my nation above everything: we witnessed this during the last century with Germany, Italy, Japan and others. It led to World War II, causing tremendous destruction and the death of sixty million people worldwide.

This century, hopes of national and international co-operation in solving world problems have been aided by the ability of people to travel, visit and settle in different parts of the world – and realising that agreement between nations is to the benefit of all.

Now, because of an economic crisis of capitalism there are very loud vocal calls from many countries, including the UK, to go back to nationalism as a way of solving problems, the number of which are growing worldwide: food and water shortages, energy supplies, climate change, destruction of the world’s forests, the changing nature of diseases, air pollution, all these and more need co-operation and understanding to solve them for the benefit of all.

The historic system of nationalism as expressed by ‘me first’, loudly sought after in many places, is so wrong and dangerous to world peace. Pride in one’s country is a totally different story.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

 

 

Aye, right … ten distinctly dodgy excuses for failing to pay the minimum wage

 

Ten of the most bizarre excuses used by unscrupulous bosses found to have underpaid workers the National Minimum Wage have today been revealed by the government.

Excuses for not paying staff the minimum wage include only wanting to pay staff when there are customers to serve and believing it was acceptable to underpay workers until they had ‘proved’ themselves.

The list has been published today to coincide with a new awareness campaign to encourage workers to check their pay to ensure they are receiving at least the statutory minimum ahead of the national minimum and national living wages rising on 1 April 2017.

The £1.7 million campaign aims to make sure workers are being paid at least the National Minimum Wage, or National Living Wage, depending on their age, and is part of the government’s commitment to making sure the economy works for all.

Investigators from HMRC have revealed some of the worst excuses given to them by employers caught out for underpaying staff, which include:

  1. The employee wasn’t a good worker so I didn’t think they deserved to be paid the National Minimum Wage.
  2. It’s part of UK culture not to pay young workers for the first 3 months as they have to prove their ‘worth’ first.
  3. I thought it was ok to pay foreign workers below the National Minimum Wage as they aren’t British and therefore don’t have the right to be paid it.
  4. She doesn’t deserve the National Minimum Wage because she only makes the teas and sweeps the floors.
  5. I’ve got an agreement with my workers that I won’t pay them the National Minimum Wage; they understand and they even signed a contract to this effect.
  6. My accountant and I speak a different language – he doesn’t understand me and that’s why he doesn’t pay my workers the correct wages.
  7. My workers like to think of themselves as being self-employed and the National Minimum Wage doesn’t apply to people who work for themselves.
  8. My workers are often just on standby when there are no customers in the shop; I only pay them for when they’re actually serving someone.
  9. My employee is still learning so they aren’t entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
  10. The National Minimum Wage doesn’t apply to my business.

By law, all workers must be paid at least £7.20 an hour if they are aged 25 years and over, or the National Minimum Wage rate relevant to their age if they are younger.

Business Minister Margot James said: “There are no excuses for underpaying staff what they are legally entitled to. This campaign will raise awareness among the lowest paid in society about what they must legally receive and I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be paid less to contact Acas as soon as possible. Every call is followed up by HMRC and we are determined to make sure everybody in work receives a fair wage.”

Workers are encouraged to regularly check their pay to ensure they are receiving at least the minimum or living wage, depending on their age.

For more information and to report underpayment, visit www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage or contact Acas for free and impartial advice.