BHA demands progresson minimum wage rules

The British Hospitality Association (BHA), has written to the Government urging it not to delay any further in publishing the regulations for the national minimum wage.

Chief executive Jeremy Logie fears that unless the rules are announced immediately the catering industry will not have time to implement them.

He said: "We expected these regulations soon after Christmas and we are still waiting. We keep being promised we will have them next week and next week never comes. It is totally unacceptable."

In a letter to MP Ian McCartney, minister of state for the Department of Trade and Industry, Logie states that with only a few weeks to go before the minimum wage comes into force on 1 April, employers in the catering industry have not yet seen either the final regulations or the explanatory guidance notes.

And unless they are published in the next week, Logie sayshe will write to the Government again asking that the industrybe allowed to delay implementing them.

If a delay is not granted he fears "the whole situation will become a mess."

Logie is also concerned that the situation the industry faced last year when it was given only six weeks to adapt to the implementation of the Working Time Directive on 1 October, could be repeated (Caterer, 24 September 1998, page 14).

He said: "It was nearly impossible to make all the necessary changes and we don't want the same thing to happen again."

Logie added: "Our membersare concerned the totally inadequate time now availablefor detailed implementationon matters such as payroll systems will damage a projectin which we have all invested considerable effort."

by Louise Bozec