Accompanying report for the Employment (Minimum Wage) (Amendment No. 7) (Jersey) Regulations 201-
Introduction
Jersey’s minimum wage has been in force since 1 July 2005. On the basis of the Employment Forum’s latest recommendation, the Social Security Minister proposes this amendment to the Minimum Wage Regulations that would increase the amounts that may be offset against the minimum wage where food and living accommodation are provided, as well as preventing employers from using tips, service charges, gratuities and cover charges towards minimum wage pay.
Subject to the States approval of this draft amendment, the minimum wage and trainee rate would be increased by Ministerial Order, to be effective from 1 April 2011.
Background
The independent consultation body, the Employment Forum presented its recommendation to the Minister on 27 September 2010, which is attached at Appendix 1. The Minister accepted the Forum’s recommendations on 5 October 2010. In summary, the Forum recommended the following increases:
| 1 April 2010 | 1 April 2011 |
Minimum Wage | £6.20 | £6.32 |
Trainee Rate | £4.65 | £4.74 |
Accommodation offset | £67.85 | £69.21 |
Accommodation & food offset | £90.46 | £92.27 |
Tips
The Forum had recommended to the Social Security Minister in 2009 that the Regulations should be amended, as in the UK, to prevent employers from using amounts received from customers by way of tips, service charges, gratuities and cover charges towards payment of the minimum wage. The legislation currently allows employer to count such amounts towards minimum wage pay where they are paid through the payroll. The Minister agreed that Regulation 8 should be amended to prevent this practice from 1 April 2011.
Offsets
Regulations may be made under Part 4 of the Employment (Jersey) Law 2003 specifying permissible offsets against the minimum wage, requiring that all employees in Jersey are paid at an hourly rate which is equal to or greater than the minimum wage. The Regulations ensure that the ability to offset benefits in kind against weekly wages is limited only to charges made by the employer for living accommodation, or living accommodation with food.
This proposed amendment to the Regulations would increase the maximum value that may be attributed to the two benefits in kind, effective from 1 April 2011, for the purpose of establishing whether the minimum wage has been paid:
- For the provision of accommodation to the employee, the maximum weekly offset against the minimum wage would be £69.21.
- For the provision of both accommodation and food to the employee, the maximum weekly offset against the minimum wage would be £92.27.
Minimum wage rates
Subject to the States approval of the proposed Regulations, the Social Security Minister proposes that an Order would be made under Article 16(3) of the Employment (Jersey) Law, 2003, to apply the following rates from 1 April 2011;
- An hourly minimum wage of £6.32, to apply to all employees over school leaving age, except when the trainee rate is paid, and ‘special classes of person’, which includes share fishermen, residential members of religious communities, and others as detailed in articles 36 to 43 of the Employment Law.
- An hourly trainee rate of £4.74 which may be paid to an employee over school leaving age, who is undertaking an accredited course of training for a maximum period of one year, when in a new job, with a new employer, by written agreement.
There are no financial or manpower implications arising from this proposition.