A milestone in the legal regulation of pay: the national minimum wage act 1998

Abstract

This article analyses the new legislation which introduces a national minimum wage in the United Kingdom for the first time. It identifies three central legal policy issues which lie behind this legislation and critically evaluates the solutions provided by the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the first regulations made under it. These issues are the coverage of the new right; the meaning of pay, identification of the working time for which the minimum wage has to be paid and the period over which employers' compliance with their new obligations is measured; and rights and procedures for enforcing observance of the law. By way of conclusion some observations are made on the impact of the minimum wage legislation on British labour law and its potential influence on developments in British labour relations.

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