Archive for the ‘Government Publications’ Category
By Sarah - Friday, August 13th, 2010
The Government has announced a review of the law giving the right to request time to train which came in April this year for employers with mroe than 250 employees. This is in line with the Government announcement that it is reviewing all regulations in a bid to reduce the burden on businesses.
Consultation is only open until 15th September 2010 so to have your say go to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills website.
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By Sarah - Friday, July 30th, 2010
The introduction of the Bribery Act has been delayed until April 2011. The Act will create a few commercial offence for Companies of failing to prevent a bribe being paid for or on its behalf. Companies will have a defence that they had adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery.
The Government will publish guidance about the procedures companies can put in place to be able to rely on the defence. Consultation will begin in September in this regard and guidance will be published in the New Year to allow businesses an adequate familiarisation period before the Act comes into force. So watch this space
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By Olivia - Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Don’t think this has escaped our blog attentions ….
The Bribery Act received Royal Assent in April and is due to come into force next April. This provides that organisations must have in place ‘adequate procedures’ dealing with bribery allegations. We are expecting guidance to be published in the New Year so will be able to advise further as to what ‘adequate procedures’ should be.
In the meantime, be alert to the fact that the Act has some employment law related implications:-
- an employing organisation will be guilty of an offence if a senior officer of the organisation was negligent in failing to prevent an illegal bribe.
- senior officers to be guilty of an offence committed by a body corporate which was committed with their consent or connivance.
We will advise on changes to policies and procedures in due course, following September’s consultation and next year’s guidance publication …..
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By Olivia - Monday, July 12th, 2010
To restore the balance following my blog last week, I can now point any employers/HR managers in the direction of the ACAS guide to the Equality Act. More detailed than the guide I highlighted last week and also includes a useful table setting out the key changes. A good starting point for those interested in the changes October will bring.
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By Olivia - Monday, July 5th, 2010
Unions are now warning of strikes following the government’s plans to change civil servants redundancy payments.
This follows last month’s government defeat in court over attempts to reduce redundancy pay. It now looks likely that fast track emergency legislation will be brought in to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
The government do need to tread carefully when looking at cuts in the public sector. George Osborne has argued that the Compensation Scheme is not in line with ‘good practice’ in the private sector. Indeed, if it does allow payouts of six months salary upon redundancy, then it is out of step with the current norm. However, it is not advisable to argue bringing this in line with the private sector if pay levels within the public sector fail to keep pace with those in the private sector. Yes, sort out redundancy pay but sort out public sector salaries at the same time George!
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By Olivia - Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Now is your chance to speak up … do you consider any employment laws to be ‘bad law’? According to Nick Clegg, we (the ‘people’) and not they (the ‘policy-makers’) are the best judges of what is good or bad law.
So, if there is any law you want repealed/amended (some provisions of the Human Rights Act spring to mind) then you can put forward your suggestions via the Cabinet Office website.
That is, if you have the time when not running your children’s school or reviving your local community centre…..
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By Olivia - Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Nick Clegg had today launched the Regional Growth Fund to assist communities most at risk of being affected buy public spending cuts. The fund, which will operate in 2011/2012 and 2012/13 will help areas most dependant on public sector employment as the country moves towards private sector led growth. Private bodies and public-private partnerships will be able to bid for funding by demonstrating that their proposal will bring in private investment and support increases in private sector jobs.
Further details will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper.
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By Olivia - Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Big news today is the Coalition’s ‘reinvigoration of retirement’ (Nick Clegg’s words not mine!)
The government have announced removal of the default retirement age and announced that the age at which male employees can claim the state pension will rise to 66 as soon as 2016. Basically, the Coalition have pushed the fast forward button on proposals previously mooted by Labour.
Ian Duncan Smith has used various arguments to justify this - people living longer, being healthier, wanting to work longer etc. However, forget about these reasons, it all essentially boils down to economics. Who wants to work until they drop? How many people will not live long enough to actually claim the pension?
Where is the recognition that, after in many cases over 40 years of service and paying of taxes, it is only right that people should be able to take some time to sit outside on that garden bench and watch the world go by which they have significantly contributed to.
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By Olivia - Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
on employment issues:-
- Basic state pension linked to earnings from April next year;
- Pensions guaranteed to rise in line with earnings, prices or 2.5pc, whichever is greatest;
- Two year pay freeze for public sector workers;
- The government will accelerate the increase in state pension age to 66;
- Medical assessment for disability living allowance from 2013 for new and existing Claimants;
- Unemployment to peak at 8.1p.c in 2010/11 and to fall each year to 6.1pc in 2015;
- Small business tax rate cut to 20pc
And of course, the knock on effect on the economy of the increase on CGT and VAT.
Much as anticipated ……. we will wait to see if the knock on effects are a double dip in the housing market, share price falls and, hopefully eventually reduction of the deficit and unemployment rates.
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By Olivia - Monday, June 7th, 2010
Leading from the front, and in anticipation of the public sector equality duties emanating from the Equality Act, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) have published their commitments over the next three years to ‘ensuring their policies and services reflect the diverse needs and experiences of all the people we serve’.
This is the first Single Equality Scheme produced by BIS (the new department itself only formed in June 2009). The Scheme includes:-
- improved staff diversity declaration rates by producing guidance and quarterly reports;
- address issues raised by minority groups in the 2009 People Survey and publish an annual diversity report;
- re-launch diversity training;
to name but afew. Makes for impressive reading, lets hope the goals are achieved. The action points are also a useful benchmark for any other employers looking to embrace the requirements of the Equality Act, particularly those in the public sector.
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