Government clarification on 32 hour minimum working week

20 Apr 2023

Tony Lloyd, Lab MP (Rochdale) raised the issue of the minimum 32 hour working week for seasonal labour yesterday and was given clarification. The full discourse is below:

"To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department ..... whether the guarantee of a minimum of 32 hours of work every week from 1 April 2023 for people on the seasonal worker visa scheme will mean that workers must be paid for at least 32 hours work each week regardless of their pay period or if the 32 hours per week can be averaged over the worker’s pay period."

Response by Robert Jenrick, Cons MP (Newark)

"Where a worker is paid on a weekly basis, they must receive pay for 32 hours of work. Where workers are paid over a longer period, for example on a fortnightly or monthly basis, some reasonable averaging is permitted. We monitor this closely and workers must not be required to work excessive hours at the end of their pay period in order to achieve the 32 hour average."