Returning to work - asked to take pay cut to 80%

bigalec2

Both my wife and I are due to return to work on Monday 15th at our respective places of employment.
Both of our employers have asked us to take a temporary pay cut (3 months minimum) to 80% of our normal wage, "for the good of the comapny to help reduce the risk of redundancies or closure" 
This means that she will be getting paid significantly less than the minimum wage, is this legal?
If she doesn't agree to the temporary change she could face losing her job. 

sharpe106

She can't go below the NMW. Surely she can agree to a temporary reduction in hours? After all if they are not busy enough to pay her full pay they don’t need her for her full hours.

Grumpy_chap

It is legal to ask you to take a pay cut, but not below minimum wage.
If the employer is asking for you to agree a temporary pay cut (3 months minimum), then it is also fair to have an end-stop after which the pay reverts back to normal level.  Otherwise, this is absurdly weighted unfairly.  A pay cut in force for 40 years would still satisfy the 3 months minimum criteria.

jimkelly

Point your employers in the direction of the part time furlough scheme, that's what it's for.

Thrugelmir

The employer should reduce the contractual hours to compensate and keep the rate of pay above the MW. 
Not an uncommon measure by companies in financial difficulty. 

NitroBN

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