How to find a job?
If you are looking for a job in Lincolnshire, many organisations list their job vacancies in the local paper or you could visit www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk or www.jobcentrevacancies.co.uk
Jobcentre Plus has a network of offices throughout the UK where computerised touchscreen points enable you to find information about jobs locally and nationally. In Lincolnshire you can find Jobcentre Plus in Lincoln, Boston, Sleaford, Spalding, Stamford, Grantham and Skegness visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

It is not legal to charge you for the finding employment for you

If you are looking for a job, please check:

• for overseas qualified health professionals http://www.rose.nhs.uk/index.html
• Lincolnshire Councty Council http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/jobresults.asp
• Jobs 24 http://www.jobs24.co.uk/
• Jobs today http://www.ajobtoday.co.uk/
• Jobsgo Public http://www.jobsgopublic.com/
• Jobs in Charities  http://www.jobsincharities.co.uk/
• Opportunities http://www.opportunities.co.uk/
• Reed http://www.reed.co.uk/
• All the Jobs http://www.allthejobs.co.uk/
• or search in www.google.co.uk

Working Conditions
Most workers have a basic 37 or 40 hour working week with a minimum of 4 weeks annual holiday entitlement.
Your employer should give you rest breaks and put limits on your working hours.
You must have at least a 20 minute break if your shift is longer than 6 hours
You should have 11 consecutive hours not at work during a 24 hour period
You should not have to work more than 48 hours in a week, on average
You should get at least 1 day off a week, or two days off in every 2 weeks
You should have paid holiday leave. This should be 4 weeks per year, building up from your first day of work. This may include Bank
Holidays such as Christmas (25th December), but some employers give these as extras.

Some people are employed on a contract basis (also called piece work) – they are paid for the amount of work they do, not employed for a certain number of hours per week. The rules are different for this kind of work.
Help and advice can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/migrant-workers telephone 020 7215 5000, www.tuc.org/extras/workingintheuk or by contacting your local Citizens Advice Bureau

National Minimum Wage
There is a law in the UK that says that your employer should pay you
more than a certain amount for the work you do. This amount is called
the National Minimum Wage.
For people doing agricultural work, there are different minimum wages.
These are worked out for people of different ages and people doing
different types of work. They start at £5.35 per hour for a basic trainee
who is older than 18 (as at Oct 2007)
For people who do non agricultural work, this rate is £3.40 for people
under 18, £4.60 for people aged 18 – 21 and £5.52 for people aged
over 22. (as at Oct 2007)
If you are paid by piecework (a certain amount for every item you finish)
the National Minimum Wage is slightly different. Employers must make a fair assessment of how many pieces an average worker can complete in an hour, and pay them fairly for it.
For more information contact the National Minimum Wage helpline on
0845 6000 678 or visit www.dti.gov.uk/employment/pay/national-minimum-wage

Health and Safety
Your employer has a duty to make sure that you are safe at work. They
must make sure you have the right safety clothing, and are properly
protected within the workplace. They must also ensure that your place
of work is not a fire risk. There must be signs to tell you where to go if
there is a fire, and there should be fire extinguishers near by. You should be given proper instruction on how to use any equipment if you are required to do so.
What to do if you have an accident:

• Ensure that the accident has been recorded e.g. in the ‘accident
  book’
• Check if your contract states any information about sick or accident
  pay
• If you encounter any problems with your employer, try to seek
  advice with the organizations listed below
• If you notice any health hazards or safety problems at your
  workplace, inform your employer and ask for them to be dealt with
• If you still have any problems, visit
  www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/online.htm or telephone
  0845 300 99 23 (the information is also available in different
  languages).

If there are health and safety problems at work, point them out to your employer or the employee safety representative, and ask for them to be dealt with. If this doesn’t happen, call the Health and Safety Executive
Infoline on 0845 345 0055 (open 8.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to
Friday)

Sick pay
In most cases, if you need time off because of an accident at work/illness, you’ll only have the right to statutory sick pay. Your employer may have a scheme for paying more for time off caused by accidents, or may decide to pay extra depending on what has happened.

Childcare
Children are protected under English law and it is your responsibility to
ensure that your children are safe and well cared for. Never leave young
children alone. If you need to leave your children, perhaps while you are
at work, choosing good quality childcare is very important.
You can find out about childcare from the Children’s Information Service
on 0800 195 1635

Children and Work
It is generally illegal in this country for anyone to work before they are
13 years old. Children aged 10 – 13 can do occasional light agricultural
work, if supervised by a parent. Young people aged 13 – 16 can do
‘light’ work, but not during school hours. There are strict limits on the
hours young people can work, and the type of work they can do. Their
employer has to get a permit from the Local Authority which must be
signed by the employer and the child’s parent or guardian. There is not
a minimum wage set for people younger than 16. For people aged 16
– 18 the minimum wage is £3.40 per hour. (Oct 2007)

Enforcing rights at work

If you have a problem with your employer you should usually try to sort it out informally first. If this doesn't work, you should follow the special three-step grievance procedure which all employers are required to have by law. This means you must:

1. send your employer a written statement, setting out your grievance, and give them at least 28 days to respond
2. meet with your employer to discuss your grievance
3. appeal against your employer's decision if you are not happy with it.

If you have followed this procedure and are still not happy with the outcome, you can take your case to an employment tribunal. You should bear in mind that if you haven't followed the grievance procedure properly first, the employment tribunal may decide to reduce any compensation it awards you. There are some circumstances in which you do not have to follow the grievance procedure before taking your case to an employment tribunal. Employment tribunals (industrial tribunals in Northern Ireland) are legal bodies which deal with complaints about employment rights. A tribunal is made up of a legally qualified chairperson and two other people representing the employer’s and the employee’s sides of industry.

A tribunal can deal with problems on the following:

• written statement of terms and conditions
• maternity rights
• holiday rights
• itemised pay statement
• unpaid wages
• sex discrimination/equal pay
• race discrimination
• disability discrimination
• discrimination because of sexual orientation
• discrimination because of religion or belief
• some health and safety problems
• unfair dismissal and redundancy.

In England, Wales and Scotland, in some cases you will have to raise a written grievance with your employer before you can make a claim to an employment tribunal. If you complain to an employment tribunal (industrial tribunal in Northern Ireland) you may risk losing your job. There are time limits within which you must take a case to a tribunal. These vary but generally a claim for unfair dismissal/illegal deduction from wages/discrimination must be made within three months of the last day worked, or of the date of the last deduction or of the date of the discriminatory act. This time limit may be extended if you have raised a written grievance with your employer. A claim for redundancy pay must normally be made within six months of leaving the job. It is very important therefore that if you are considering making a claim to an employment tribunal (industrial tribunal in Northern Ireland) you should get help from an experienced adviser as soon as possible, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Remember: Your employer does not have the right to keep your passport or identity documents – it is enough for them to make copies for their records.

Trade Unions
British trade unions have a good record in representing migrant workers
and campaigning on their behalf. There are many different unions
covering all occupations and industries. The Trades Union Congress
(TUC) represents all the trade unions and they can give advice on which
union to join. Workers join unions so they can speak with one voice and
can get support if they have a problem at work.
Unions can provide help with learning and skills training at work including English courses. Unions charge a subscription, usually weekly with varying amounts.

An employee has the right to join a trade union, and should not be refused a job, dismissed, harassed or selected for redundancy because they are a member of or wish to join a trade union. For information about which union to join, look on the union finder page of the TUC's website at www.worksmart.org.uk.

Different Unions
UFW – for people who work in the agricultural industry
Unison – for people who work in public services
Amicus – for people who work in manufacturing, finance, health, printing
and publishing
TGWU – for people who work in transport, food & drink, hotels and manufacturing
GMB – for people who work in manufacturing, food & drink, tourism and public services
UCATT – for people who work in construction
USDAW – for people who work in food & drink, shops and distribution
For more information on unions contact midlands@tuc.org.uk
telephone 0121 236 4454