National Minimum Wage
What it really means
The lowest hourly pay an employer can legally give workers under 21 and apprentices. The rates change every April and depend on your age — check the current figures on GOV.UK. Being paid less than the legal rate is against the law.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Underpayment is rarely a low headline rate — it hides in the details. Unpaid 'trial shifts' that go on for hours of real work, being made to arrive early for unpaid setup, deductions for uniforms or till shortages that drag pay below the legal rate, and 'cash in hand' arrangements are the usual patterns, and all can breach the law. Rates change every April and depend on age band and apprentice status, so check the current figures rather than a poster in the staff room. If you think you are underpaid, keep your own record of hours worked (photos of rotas help), then raise it with the employer; if that goes nowhere you can complain to HMRC, which enforces the minimum wage and accepts confidential reports — and workers on visas are protected by the same wage law as everyone else. ACAS can talk you through options anonymously before you decide to act.