Fair working conditions
Wherever you're employed, your working conditions should always be fair.
Fair work is work that offers all individuals an effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect.
Fair Work framework
Check out the Fair Work framework video to see what this means for you.
Support for apprentices who are carers
If you’re an apprentice and a carer, Carer’s Allowance could support you.
For people living in Scotland who get Carer’s Allowance, you may also get Carer’s Allowance Supplement or Carer Support Payment. The Young Carer Grant is for carers who are 16, 17 or 18 years old.
Redundancy
Redundancy can be a really difficult time. Your employer should support you during redundancy and you can contact us for advice. Your learning provider should be able to support you to find another opportunity.
Our careers advisers are also here to support you through redundancy and to help you move on to the next step.
You can find useful information on My World of Work about your rights during redundancy.
Support for maternity, paternity and adoption
These links on the ACAS website offer information on parental leave, including maternity, paternity, adoption and surrogacy.
Unions
A union is an organisation with members who are usually workers or employees. It looks after the members’ interests at work.
A union will support its members by talking about their concerns with employers and negotiating on salaries. Union representatives (‘reps’) can also join you at important meetings, for example a disciplinary meeting.
You can usually find the union’s contact details in your company handbook, intranet site or noticeboard. Ask your manager if you can’t find this information. There's a membership fee which you can pay in a few different ways.
Find out more about unions on the Gov.uk website
What if my employer doesn’t have a union?
Some companies don’t partner with a union – especially smaller businesses – but you can get lots of free work advice from ACAS.
Your questions answered
We've got answers here to questions you might have while you're working as an apprentice. Or you can check out all Frequently Asked Questions.
Every worker in the UK is entitled to a minimum number of paid holidays. You’re entitled to 5.6 weeks (that’s 28 days if you work 5 days a week) of paid leave per year. Find out more about your rights, including paid leave, on the My World of Work website or Gov.uk website.
Yes, employers do have the right to tell you when to take your holiday allowance, or annual leave, if they need to. For example, if your workplace closes for a week, they can tell everyone to use their holiday entitlement.
You should speak to your employer and tell them you think you should be getting paid more. You can ask them to explain how they calculated your pay. Remember, if they’ve been underpaying you, they’ll have to make up the difference, too.
You can find out more about your rights, including pay, on My World of Work.
As a Modern or Graduate Apprentice you must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for an apprentice. You can find pay rates on the UK Government website and on the ACAS website.
The employer should also give you full access to the same facilities or benefits as other staff.
Explore other topics in this section
Got any questions?
You can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or get in touch with our team who will be happy to help.