that of the employer. - Homeworkers Worldwide

“If it had been left to me I’d never have been able to do it becauseI don’t know all the ins and outs. If there was no NGH, I would stillhave complained to NMW Compliance Unit, but when they droppedmy case that would have been the end. But in the end, none of thiswas useful for the deliverers who I originally complained for. Asworkers themselves, they were entitled to the minimum wage andholiday pay which I know they still do not receive. We didn’t getanywhere with that.”Chapter 6: PayPay rates by method of payThe homeworkers were paid in a number of ways, and it is useful to lookat their pay rates in terms of their means of payment – paid by piecerate, timed worker, on commission, or paid by salary.As a timed worker (8%)On commission (9%)Salaried worker (16%)By output or piece rate (67%)It is important in particular to highlight the group of workers on piecerates, as these were the largest group of homeworkers, on the lowestpay, and in our experience they are often also the most vulnerable.Forty-four homeworkers, by far the largest group, were paid by piecerate. Twenty-eight of these workers provided enough information abouttheir pay and hours to estimate their hourly earnings. Of these twentyeight,according to our calculations, nineteen were earning less than theNMW. Some were earning as little as £1 per hour. For these twenty-eightas a whole, the average hourly rate was £4.41 – significantly below thecurrent level of the NMW. (£5.35 per hour at time of survey, rising to£5.52 per hour in October 2007).Workers on piecerates, were thelargest group ofhomeworkers,on the lowestpay, and in ourexperience theyare often also themost vulnerable.Five homeworkers received an hourly rate. Four of these provided informationon their pay rates, and all were earning between £5.50 and £6.The average hourly earnings from our sample were £5.79.Six homeworkers were being paid on commission. It was possibleto estimate the hourly earnings for five of these workers from theinformation they provided, although payment by commission can ofcourse vary dramatically across different pieces of work. These figuresneed to be treated with caution, but they indicate average hourlyearnings of £13.03.Ten homeworkers were on a salary. These were the only homeworkerswho could therefore expect a guaranteed regular income. Three of thesedid not wish to disclose any information about their earnings, but sevenprovided enough information about their salary and their hours for theirhourly pay rates be calculated. Those who provided the information wereearning between £12k and £34k per annum, and the average hourlypay rate across this group of workers was £12.84.30 31