TUC calls for reform in employment law

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for the national minimum wage (NMW) to be increased to more than £6 an hour in 2008. General secretary of the TUC Brendan Barber comments that it is “vital” for a crackdown on those who flout regulations by underpaying their staff, stating that they deserve “zero tolerance”. Mr Barber adds that the NMW makes a “real difference” to the lives of many low-income workers and that more must be done to catch penny-pinching bosses who do not pay their staff the wage they are entitled to. “Economic growth is set to continue next year and we expect to see 175,000 extra jobs created. All the signs are that the UK can afford a £6 hourly wage,” he concludes. The NMW currently stands at £5.52 an hour for adult workers aged 22 and over, £4.60 per hour for those between the ages of 18 and 21 and £3.40 an hour for employees who are below 18 years old and are no longer of compulsory school age. With member unions representing more than six and a half million people, the TUC campaigns for social justice and a fair deal at work.