Failure to supply clear pay slips impedes enforcement of NMW


One way in which unscrupulous employers avoid their NMW obligations is by failing to provide workers with clear information about their working hours and hourly rates. As a result of campaigning by trade unions, including UNISON and the GMB, in its 2016 report the Low Pay Commission formally recommended a change to the NMW regulations to impose a legal duty on employers to ensure that the payslips of hourly-paid staff clearly state the hours worked.
The government has agreed to consider the proposal. NMW abuse in the "gig" economy is one of the issues being considered by the Taylor review (see box on page 36).


Unions have also called for increased funding, to enable HMRC to recruit more compliance officers, as well as targeted NMW awareness programmes, and visits to schools and colleges.