Business minister launches support line to allow vulnerable workers to seek advice and report abuse of workplace rights.
The new Pay and Work Rights helpline, launched by business minister Pat McFadden, is part of a wider campaign to raise awareness of workplace rights enforced by Government.

Designed to provide a unified point of contact for both employers and workers, the helpline has been developed in cooperation with employers, trade unions and the different enforcement agencies across Government.

It will offer information on the national minimum wage, the agricultural minimum wage, working hours, employment agency standards and gangmaster licensing.

Previously calls on each of these rights were taken by five separate Government bodies. However, the new line will enable workers to report abuses of these rights to one point of contact.

Mr Mc Fadden said: "This Government has done a lot to improve rights at work but it's also essential to make sure these rights are properly enforced. A simple system for reporting abuses and giving advice and information to employers and workers is a critical part of that.

"By consolidating the current complex system of different helplines for different issues into one single number we are making it easier for workers to report abuses and for Government to respond. We want to transfer the burden of navigating the system from the worker to the Government. This is an important step and we are determined that the recession does not become an excuse to deny people their basic rights at work."

A video explaining how the line will work can be viewed at www.bis.gov.uk/new-pay-and-work-rights-helpline