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Executive Summary

The landscape of compensation and employee rights is shaped by a complex web of legislative acts and regulations, each designed to ensure fair treatment and adequate renumeration for workers.

This paper delves into the various acts, beginning with the Minimum Wage Act of 1938 establishing the fundaments standards for compensation, with subsequent acts such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) amendments of 1974 broadening protections and coverage. These statues include the Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act 1974, the Holiday Act 1974, the Maternity Leave Act 1979, and the equal Employment for Men & Women Act 1975, collectively safeguard workers' interests by delineating fair wages, entitlements during leave of termination and the protection against discrimination.

Introduction

Compensation plays a pivotal role in the relationship between an employee and employer. For an employee compensation significantly influences employee motivation and satisfaction whereas for the employer a well-structured compensation system helps attract and retain skilled employees.

Acts and regulations impact compensation by influencing transparency, access to benefits, compliance cost, overall fairness and adequate renumeration for workers. Among these, the Minimum Age Act of 1938 stands as a cornerstone in establishing a baseline for fair compensation, while subsequent acts such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Amendments of 1974 expended protection and coverage. These laws alongside others like the Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act 1971, the Holiday Act 1974, the Maternity Act 1979 and the Equal Employment for Men and Women Act 1975, have profound implications for compensation practices and employee rights. These acts are designed to safeguard the rights of the workers, providing mechanisms to ensure that they receive fair wages, entitlements during periods of leave or termination, equal employment rights, protection against discrimination and so much more.

For this research, the writers will delve into the multifaced impact of various acts on compensation, exploring their provisions, consequences of non-compliance, and the time periods of employment necessary to access benefits. By means of a thorough examination, our objective is to clarify the complex relationship between legislative mandates and compensation policies, highlighting the significance of adherence to regulations and safeguarding employees' rights in the work environment.

A. The Impact of Acts on Compensation

1. The Minimum Wage Act of 1938 is a law that establishes the minimum wage that must be paid to employees in covered industries. The Act was designed to ensure that workers are fairly compensated for their labour and to prevent the exploitation of low-wage workers. In 1974, the Minimum Wage Act underwent a significant revision with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Amendments of 1974. These amendments expanded the coverage of the minimum wage provisions to include additional categories of workers and increased the minimum wage rate. The impact of the Minimum Wage Act on compensation is significant.

2. The Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act 1974 is a piece of legislation that outlines the rights of employees regarding termination of employment and redundancy

payments. The Act primarily focuses on providing financial compensation to employees who are terminated or made redundant. Under this Act, eligible employees are entitled to receive compensation if they are dismissed by their employer, or if their employment is terminated due to redundancy. The amount of compensation is determined based on various factors such as the length of service, age of the employee, and their weekly pay.

3. The Maternity Leave Act 1979 protected all female workers from possible unfair treatment. A woman in continuous employment for a minimum of one year by the same employer at the date her maternity leave commences must provide proof by way of a medical certificate of her presumed date of confinement, is entitled to this benefit.

4. The Equal Employment for Men & Women Act 1975 prohibits discrimination based on gender in terms of employment practises, including recruitment, promotion, training and compensation for similar work.

Under this act, it ensures that employers do not discriminate based on sex when it comes to remuneration. The impact on compensation - is that the act ensures that men and women receive equal pay for performing the same or similar task within an organization.

5. The Holiday Act 1974 mandates the entitlement of a worker to be paid holidays (including vacation pay) and sick leave with pay for workers other than casual workers, in certain occupations. One other benefit covered in this act include gratuity. The act sets out the minimum numbers of days of paid leave that an employee is entitled to annually, which may vary from country to country within the region.

b. The Consequences of Non-Compliance

1. Wage Act of 1938 (as amended in 1974), can be severe. The lack of compliance with obligatory of minimum wage may be addressed with penalties, fines, or court decisions. These penalties are for the seriousness of violations, and the frequency of such violation. To illustrate, if an employer pays below the minimum wage, they may end up embroiled in legal wars by employees filing lawsuits demanding for back pay or damages as compensation.

2.Employment (Termination & Redundancy Payments) Act of 1974 delineates guidelines for employers to ensure fair treatment in termination and redundancy cases, particularly payments to employees. After the implementing of the act, non- compliance or disobeying the act's regulations can cause legal disputes, in which employees can demand justice for the wrongful dismissal or inadequate redundancy packages.

3.Holiday Act of 1974, every employee will get his annual leave as an entitled commodity. Defiance of this act by employers may have the following: penalties which include monetary fines or lawsuits from employee side. The employer who is unable to give the employee the leave of absence or appropriate pay may be considered guilty of a legal wrong.

4. The Maternity Leave Act of 1979 which ameliorates the condition of the said pregnant employees includes maternity leave and pay. By failing to meet the mandate of this bill is punishable by lawsuits from employees suffering from discrimination or the denial of maternity leave rights. An employer violating the maternity leave and pay provision may be subject to penalties and other sanctions, including legal action against them (WHO, 2017).

5. the Equal Employment for Men & Women Act of 1975 also stipulates the equal treatment of gender in the workplace area. Failure to obey this decision may result in a lawsuit or a penalty imposed for sexual discrimination. For instance, employers who do not follow the principle of equal employment opportunities or offer salary equality may face lawsuits, fines, or reputation damage.

C . Time Period of Employment

1. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, which was revised in 1974, primarily focuses on establishing minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor, and record keeping standards. It does not typically specify a period of employment required to obtain benefits beyond those directly related to wages and hours.

However, under the FLSA, there are no explicit provisions regarding benefits such as health insurance, vacation time, or sick leave. These benefits are typically determined by employers or may be subject to separate state or local laws.

2. The Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act of 1974 is a UK law that provides provisions regarding termination and redundancy payments for employees. Under this act, the period of employment required to obtain various benefits such as redundancy payments depends on the specific circumstances outlined in the legislation.

The act provides guidelines for when an employee is entitled to redundancy pay, which is typically based on the length of continuous employment with the employer.

3.The Holiday Act 1974 in the UK primarily governs the entitlement to annual leave (holiday) for employees. Under this act, the period of employment required to obtain various benefits such as annual leave entitlement depends on the specific provisions outlined in the legislation.

In the UK, under the Working Time Regulations 1998, which implement the Holiday Act 1974, most full-time workers are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks (or 28 days) of paid annual leave per year.

4. The Maternity Leave Act 1979 is a piece of legislation in the UK that provided certain rights and benefits to pregnant employees, particularly regarding maternity leave and pay. However, it's worth noting that the specific provisions and requirements may have been superseded or amended by subsequent legislation, such as the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999.

Under the Maternity Leave Act 1979 and subsequent regulations, the period of employment required to obtain various benefits such as maternity leave and pay typically depends on the length of service with the employer.

5. The Equal Employment for Men and Women Act of 1975, also known as the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 in the UK, was a landmark piece of legislation aimed at promoting equality between men and women in the workplace. It prohibited discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status in employment, training, education, and other areas.

While this act aimed to ensure equal treatment for men and women in employment, it did not specifically outline a period of employment required to obtain benefits. Instead, it focused on eliminating discriminatory practices in hiring, promotion, pay, and other aspects of employment.

Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, individuals were protected from various forms of discrimination, including:

Direct discrimination: Treating someone less favourably because of their sex or marital status.

Indirect discrimination: Applying a provision, criterion, or practice which puts individuals of a particular sex or marital status at a disadvantage compared to others.

Discrimination by victimization: Treating someone less favourably because they have taken action under the legislation, such as making a complaint about discrimination.