In the UK the retail industry is often run by teenage part time workers who are often still in full time education maybe like yourself. Some young workers feel that they are exploited and bullied, and often forced into hours they do not want to do work which they should be paid more for.

Once you are 16 and have left secondary school you become classed as a “Young Worker”. Although you are now classed as a young worker there are still rules and regulations your employer must follow.

But do you know your rights as a young worker? 

You will find you are more employable once you have left school as you are now eligible to work more hours, but your employer must still take into consideration if you are still in education for example, a college course or an apprenticeship. At the age of 16 – 17, the maximum number of hours which you can be required to work in one shift is 8. After 4 and a half hours you must have a half hour break, something which some employers are not happy with but it is the law.

You are required to be paid the minimum wage once you reach 16 but the rate of your minimum wage depends exactly on your age. If you are ages 16 – 17 the minimum wage in £3.57

You also have rights when you think you are being bullied at work. if you are being bullied by another employee you should take up the issue with your immediate line manager. If the abuse is coming from an employee of a higher status such as your line manager you should take the issue to management. If you feel that no actions are being taken on the matter you should take the matter up formally through the grievance procedure and remember that bullying is a form of misconduct and a disciplinary issue. 

If you think that you are being unfairly treated I found that there are an abundance of good websites which will have loads of help for young workers.

Obviously not all part time jobs are all doom and gloom and I do not want to put you off as there are perks to having a job beside the obvious of getting paid! For example where I work I get a free bowl of cheesy chips which may not seem very exciting it definitely does help and companies such as Tesco and Ice Land offer shares in the company depending on the hours that you work. Also employers are great references and will make your CV look a hell of a lot more attractive to other potential employers. You can also gain qualifications through working, for example, some employers train you in food handling or first aid training which will also make your CV look even better. Finally it gives you something worthwhile to do so you can feel like you are achieving something by going out an earning a living.

Here is a link to a site with great help on your rights as a young worker I hope it can help

www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/employment/

by Ben McInnes