UK Child Workers.

[geoffrey]

UK children aged 13+ can do certain work for certain hours. I understand however that there is no National Minimum Wage for them and no safeguarding procedures whatever. I find these things rather worrying is this information correct?

[Wombats]

Re: UK Child Workers.

Any use?

https://www.gov.uk/child-employment/...ldren-can-work

The main piece of legislation covering the employment of young people under 16 is the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, but there are over 200 other pieces of relevant legislation to take into account, including European and international instruments, Acts of Parliament, and local authority by-laws.

[leclerc]

Re: UK Child Workers.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...ployment09.pdf

I think the above is slightly more informative and go through it.

[Wombats]

Re: UK Child Workers.

In answer to the minimum wage question, no there is no NMW for 13 year olds. I find it odd that we are still governed by a primary legislation dating back to 1933 where it was commonplace for children to be away from school during harvest time etc... to help work on the farms. I remember my Dad talking about exactly this, hence the reference to horticultural work I presume.

[teaboy2]

Re: UK Child Workers.

I believe they have to pay them a reasonable wage, i know when i started working in a shop after school when i was 14 (am 33 now) i was paid £2 - £2.50 an hour (had a paper round on top of that for the same shop). Problem is determining a reasonable wage, and children have limited employment rights. I have long believed that child workers should be paid the same minimum wage as 16 year old, with the except being for paper rounds, as clearly the time it takes to complete a paper round each day can vary especially between when using a bike or walking. Though i believe they are paid x pence per paper delivered, or an equal percentage from the pot (pot being from payments made by customers for having paper delivered).

As things stand a lot of child workers are being financially exploited by rogue companies, some only being paid a tenner per week for a paper round, i got £7.50 for mine and some paper boys/girls are paid up to £20-25 a week now which seems about right to me. But i certainly believe legislation needs to be brought in or up to date to protect child workers.