Tag: entitlements

Working this Christmas? Check your pay!

Festive workers, including those on short-term contracts, are being urged to check their pay to make sure they aren’t missing out on the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

Seasonal staff and students employed over the Christmas period are legally entitled to receive at least the same minimum rates as other workers.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding all workers to check their hourly rate of pay, and to look out for unpaid working time – such as time spent cleaning and closing premises, training, or picking up extra hours. 

Deductions, for things like uniforms or tools, can also reduce pay rates. 

HMRC’s festive video issues a clear reminder: 

“Have you started a Christmas job? 

“No matter how long you’ve been employed for, you are legally entitled to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. This includes temporary seasonal staff working in shops, hotels, garden centres, Christmas markets, restaurants and warehouses.

“Always make sure that you check your pay and look out for any deductions, or unpaid working time that could take you below the minimum wage.

“If you think you’ve been short changed, even if you no longer work for that employer, we’re here to help. Visit GOV.UK and search ‘check your pay’ to find all the information you need about wage rates, and how to report your employer if they’re not paying you correctly.”

The National Minimum Wage hourly rates are currently:

  • £11.44 – Age 21 and over (National Living Wage)
  • £8.60 – Age 18 to 20
  • £6.40 – Age under 18
  • £6.40 – Apprentice

Anyone not being paid what they are entitled to, or people concerned that someone they know may not be getting paid correctly, can report it online at https://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint. It takes around 10 minutes and reports can be made after the employment has ended. 

To speak with someone, raise a concern or get further information, phone the Acas Pay and Work Rights helpline on 0300 123 1100 for confidential, free advice (Monday to Friday*, 8am to 6pm).– *Except Bank Holidays. 

Employers can also access support at any time to ensure they are paying their workers correctly:

They can also contact Acas for advice.

Cancer patients urged to apply for disability benefits

Charity joins Scottish Government to raise awareness of support

A cancer charity has joined forces with the Scottish Government to urge people with cancer to check if they could be eligible for disability benefits.  

Cancer Card Scotland founder Jen Hardy MBE and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, want people with cancer to ensure they’re getting the money they could be entitled to.

Both Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment are available in Scotland to help cover the extra costs of being disabled, having a long-term health condition or being terminally ill.

Importantly, Social Security Scotland fast tracks applications for disability payments from people who are terminally ill. A decision can take as little as 48 hours.

For people with cancer, who are applying under the standard rules, there is a qualifying period before they can be eligible.

Jen, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, set up Cancer Card Scotland as an online hub where people with cancer could find out about all the support available to them.

Sharing her experience of applying for benefits after her diagnosis, Jen said: “There is a perception that to get disability benefits someone needs to have a physical disability that is there all the time, but that’s not the case. 

“Cancer can have a substantial and long-term effect on someone’s ability to do normal daily activities. It affects you not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. For most people, how they feel and the level of help they need changes. 

“For example, every three weeks I have an infusion of life-extending Herceptin, which takes three or four hours. It’s exhausting and I get so tired I can’t move.  

“Without my Blue Badge and my Adult Disability Payment I couldn’t do half the things I do. I want people with cancer to know that it’s okay to get financial support and it’s okay to apply for Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment. 

“Everyone needs help at some point in their life.”

Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, said: “Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment are there to help cover the extra costs that come with being disabled or having a long-term health condition such as cancer.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough without worrying about bills. This is money people are entitled to and I urge everyone who is eligible to apply for support.

“Many people with cancer have spoken about how attending appointments and getting treatment can be a full-time job. That’s why we fast track applications from people diagnosed with terminal cancer so that they can get the support they need as quickly as possible.

“Social Security Scotland can help people apply for these payments either over the phone or face-to-face in a location that suits them.

“We also fund independent advocacy service Voiceability to provide help to disabled people applying for Scottish benefits.”

More information on eligibility and how to apply is available via the MyGov.scot website.