§ Ms KellyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific measures his Department has introduced to raise the awareness of the national minimum wage and the national minimum wage confidential helpline among ethnic minorities. [146087]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonIn the autumn of 1999, the Government ran a national minimum wage publicity campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the national minimum wage among ethnic minority communities. This was the first DTI campaign specifically to target ethnic minorities—especially Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afro-Caribbean communities—in known low pay areas. The campaign also aimed to reassure people in these communities that complaints about underpayment of the minimum wage would be treated confidentially, and that enforcement is fair and effective. The confidential helpline number (0845 6000 678) was featured strongly.
To complement the publicity campaign in September-October 2000 to raise awareness of the increase in the main rate to £3.70, in September 2000 my Department wrote to around 750 ethnic minority intermediaries such as community advice centres, career groups, religious bodies and business representatives telling them about the increase and to remind people that complaints about underpayment to the helpline will be treated in the strictest confidence. The letter also explained that guidance on the minimum wage is freely available in a number of languages, including the main Asian ones, by contacting the minimum wage helpline; and for those 317W people who cannot speak English or would prefer to converse in their native tongue, the helpline has access to translation services in over 30 different languages.