If you are planning to embark on a working holiday in the UK, you may be wondering what your rights are as a worker from abroad. Are they the same as a native worker’s? You may also wish to familiarise yourself with your prospective employer’s obligations. If this is the case, read on to learn more about this topic.
Your Right to Work in the UK
First and foremost you should of course check that you have the right to come and work in the UK, for the purposes of this article we shall assume that you’ve checked all that out however and get into more specific details on your rights as an employee.
How do my Rights Compare to those of a UK Citizen?
You’ll be pleased to hear that the majority of laws concerning the relationship between employer and employee apply equally to those from overseas as they do to native workers. This places you on an equal footing with British citizens when it comes to factors such as the national minimum wage, restrictions on working hours, rest breaks, holiday entitlements and the like. A comprehensive guide to many of these factors can be found at http://uk.practicallaw.com/7-503-4973#a321594
Health and Safety
British health and safety laws cover all migrant workers in the UK and this applies whether someone is working legally in the UK or not. If you are coming from overseas to work in the UK you can learn more about your employer’s health and safety obligations via the UK government’s portal at http://www.hse.gov.uk/migrantworkers/
Have you earned money whilst on a working holiday in the UK? If so apply for your tax back here
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