Post by hera on Jul 7, 2015 11:06:36 GMT
Thousands of care workers 'miss out on minimum wage' >>
More than a tenth of UK care workers are being paid less than the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, a study suggests.
The Resolution Foundation think tank says its research indicates that about 160,000 people are losing out on an average of £815 each a year.
It said some firms wrongly did not pay staff when they travelled between clients, on training or when "on call".
Ministers said they were taking action against employers who broke the law.
The national minimum wage is paid to adults aged 21 and over and there are lower rates for younger workers and apprentices.
The minimum wage regulations say working time includes travelling in connection with work, and training or travelling to training during normal working hours.
The Resolution Foundation, a not-for-profit research organisation, said the problem it had uncovered was "primarily down to the failure of employers to pay staff at a level that adequately covers all of their working time".
The care industry sector, which employs about 1.4 million people in the UK, has long been associated with low pay, while funding cuts and an ageing population is creating an additional strain on wages, it added.
The Resolution Foundation said the total amount that care staff were missing out on was estimated to be about £130m a year, but it could be higher. This is because the study did not take account of illegal deductions to pay which it said was "the most common reason for non-compliance" with the minimum wage regulations.
It is calling on national and local government as well as social care providers to address its concerns.
Current UK National Minimum Wage rates
Adult rate (21 and over) - £6.50 per hour
18 to 20-year-olds - £5.13 per hour
16 to 17-year-olds - £3.79 per hour
Apprentice rate - £2.73 per hour