Since the cost of college and housing are increasing day by day, students are often seen looking for part-time jobs to pay for their tuition fees, accommodation, transport, and other expenses. Even though many students opt for working at their colleges or universities, some work in companies and fast-food restaurants. No matter where students work, it is important to know the basic rights and employment laws so nobody can exploit them. They should be aware of the minimum wage, paid/unpaid leaves, health and safety precautions, the number of hours, and many other things.
One should know that student laws are not very different from a full-time worker’s rights. It does not matter if an individual is less educated or young, as soon as they sign the contract or start working, they are protected by state and federal employment laws. An individual cannot be denied a job or get fired because of their age, sex, gender, race, etc. If they do face discrimination, they should get in touch with attorney Ravi Sattiraju.
Mentioned below are some of the basic employment law topics students should be aware of:
- Safety
All around the world, a large number of people die or get physically hurt. That’s why according to health and safety law, organizations must guarantee that the working environment is safe. This implies, for example, if someone is working as a cleaner utilizing dangerous chemicals and the manager has not provided appropriate safety equipment, he is acting illegally.
- Minimum wage
As an employee working part-time or full-time, students reserve the right to get the National Minimum Wage. This is their lawful right, irrespective of how long they work during the week. Students are qualified for the same amount of salary per hour as any other full-time worker working the same job. They should not be paid any less even if they are not working full-time. Any organization paying less than the National Minimum Wage is violating the law.
- Details
It is the student’s right to know each and every detail regarding the job, including the terms and conditions of the work within two months of starting the job. The details do not have to be in a written form; they can be oral, implied, or a mixture of these. The details should also include job title, salary or per hour wage, notice period, working hours, paid and unpaid leaves, and pension plans.
- Working hours
The working time regulation (WTR) covers several parts of working hours and helps to make sure that employees do not work for an unreasonable and extended period. According to the law, students are eligible for a break of 20 minutes if the working day is longer than six hours.
- Tax
To make sure that students are paying the correct amount of tax, they will be given a tax code. This tells employers whether they should tax the students, and how much they should be taxed. When an individual is initially employed, they may be put on an emergency tax code which implies that they will pay more tax than normal. If so, call up HMRC to sort through this so they are not overpaying. Fortunately, individuals can claim tax that they have been wrongly deducted within 4 years.
