Politics and Business

Know Your Rights as an Employee

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Before you go into any job, it is always important to weigh up what rights you have as an employee, and before then! This guide will hopefully enlighten you to the rights you have as an employee and before you are hired. 

You Have Rights Before Employment

Before you enter employment, you have rights as well! Many people forget this and only think that their rights as a worker begin when they are employed. For example, before employment you are not allowed to be discriminated against on the basis of age, race, gender, sex, national origin, or religion. If they do, the company is breaking the law.

You Should Receive a Contract of Employment

Many do not know this, but a business is not legally entitled to give you a contract of employment straight away. However, something that they do need to do is to produce a copy of your working contract within the first month of your employment. This contract should include the basic details of your role, and the entitlement to things such as sick leave, pension scheme (if applicable) and other terms of your employment. 

You Must Recieve Clear Payslips from your Employer

You should regularly receive payslips from your employer, that has a clear breakdown of your pay for the month (or duration the employer pays you in) and a clear explanation and graphic of any deductions to your paycheque. 

You should Not be Discriminated Against

This is a given in life, and not just employment. However, there are rules and regulations in place, which means a company cannot discriminate against its employees on the basis of sex, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, and religious belief. If they are found doing so, then there could be legal implications. 

You are Entitled to Rest Breaks and Reasonable Working Hours

This is another right that you would think is rather obvious but many people forget or don’t think that it is written in law. This includes getting a daily rest period of around 20 minutes to eat and drink and rest up before working again. If your workday is longer than 6 hours, then you have a right to take a day off in a 7 day period. 

Employees cannot, under any circumstance, be forced to work a period of over 48 hours in a single week. If they are found doing so, it is against the law.

You should be Protected under Health and Safety Protocols

Any job you do, you need to make sure that you are protected and the workplace is a safe environment for you to work in. If it isn’t, you are putting yourself at risk, and you would have a valid claim to sue that company in question for putting you at risk. For example, if you were working on a dock or harbor, then you will need experts in handling Defence Base Act cases to help get that company to change its ways.

This article should have enough points to really show that with some research, you can see that you are entitled to a lot as an employee, so make sure you research and find out what your rights are today!

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