Press Release - Minimum Wage

Minimum wage a step closer for Alderney workers

Alderney will mirror Guernsey's minimum wage - currently £8.50 for adults - when new legislation comes into force.

But first law officers and the civil service must find a way to overcome barriers to the enforcement of such a law.

The island's Policy & Finance Committee does not want to replicate Guernsey's minimum wage law, mainly because a tribunal system for enforcement is not appropriate for Alderney. But it does want the same rates as Guernsey.

"Adopting a minimum wage for Alderney is long overdue," said P&F Chairman James Dent. "However, the question of enforcement and how an employee can bring a claim has proved to be something of a stumbling block. In the absence of a tribunal and the prohibitive costs of court action, we have to find an alternative solution."

P&F has asked the States of Guernsey to provide policy support and for law officers to visit Alderney to discuss enforcement options.

As well as the £8.50 minimum wage for over-18s in Guernsey, the rate is £8.05 for 16 and 17-year-olds who are not apprentices. Where an employer provides food and accommodation, a notional amount is counted towards an employee's pay - a maximum weekly offset of £82 for accommodation only and a maximum of £114 for accommodation and food.

The minimum wage is also assumed when calculating income support for low paid workers in Guernsey, a policy that would disadvantage Alderney employees if a new minimum wage was not enforceable.

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