Archive for June, 2008

Employment Tribunal awards and family friendly rights On 17 June 2008, the Employment Forum presented its latest recommendations on two employment topics to the Social Security Minister. The first relates to new powers for the Employment Tribunal when making awards to employees who have been unfairly dismissed. The second recommends maternity, paternity and family friendly [...]

There are a number of different structures governing the interest that HMRC charges on late payments of tax and pays out on overpayments, the framework and legislation for which were inherited from the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. As many taxpayers, particularly businesses, interact with HMRC across a range of taxes, HMRC is [...]

There are a number of different penalty structures across the taxes and duties administered by HMRC, the framework and legislation for which were inherited from the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. As many taxpayers, particularly businesses, interact with HMRC across a range of taxes, HMRC is concerned that the differences are viewed as [...]

Revenue publishes Defaulters List The issue of Iris Oifigiúil dated 24 June 2008 contains details of published audit /investigation settlements completed by Revenue in the period 1 January 2008 to 31 March 2008. The list is published in two parts: Part 1 lists every person upon whom a fine or other penalty was imposed by [...]

A new comprehensive Double Taxation Convention between the United Kingdom and France was signed in London on 19 June 2008. The Convention will enter into force once both countries have completed their Parliamentary procedures and it will replace the existing Convention which dates from 1968. A new Convention with France was originally signed on 28 [...]

Wage-fixing machinery in the agricultural industry in Scotland has been in place in various forms since 1917. The Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949 consolidated the regulatory Acts of 1937 and 1940 and provided for the establishment of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB). Under the 1949 Act and its subsequent amendments, the Scottish Agricultural Wages [...]

25th & 26th September 2008 Location: Barcelona – Hotel AB SKIPPER By attending our conference, you will have the opportunity to benchmark on: In house High Potential Evaluation programs Employer Branding as a tool to Talent Identification & Retention Tools implanted to retain Talents Building a sustainable Talent Pipeline The role of leaders in HR [...]

London, 24 June 2008 – As we approach the first anniversary of the smoking ban on 1 July 2008 it looks like it has had a positive effect in English workplaces. Monster research has shown that nearly two thirds of English workers (62%) have found that the smoking ban improved their work environment, however one [...]

In a decision given in the case HM Revenue and Customs v Annabels (Berkeley Square) Ltd & Ors on 13 June 2008, the London Employment Appeal Tribunal allowed an appeal by HMRC that, in the particular facts of the case, the tips distributed by the troncmasters were not payments by the employers and did not, [...]

At the beginning of May, Acas published a draft Code of Practice on discipline and grievance in employment. The code is being revised to take into account the changes being made to workplace dispute resolution procedures by the Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, in particular the removal of the statutory dismissal and discipline procedures. To [...]

The new A4-size P45 comes into use from October 2008. Samples of the five different versions of the four-page colour documents have been made available for the particular benefit of system developers. Further information: Online Services: draft versions of 2007-08 and 2008-09 Forms View the previous news item for PAYE Procedures The UK Payroll News [...]

On 10 June, agreement was reached by the EU Employment and Social Affairs Council on the longstanding issues of the Temporary Agency Workers Directive. The proposals, which have been under discussion since 2002, will provide equality of treatment for temporary workers with workers engaged on full employment contracts. The main points of agreement in the [...]

On 10 June, agreement was reached by the EU Employment and Social Affairs Council on the longstanding issues of the Working Time Directive. The Directive amending the existing directive on Working Time has been on the table since 2005. Many Member ec.States are in breach of the legislation as interpreted by the European Court of [...]

HMRC has published a new Factsheet ES/FS1 Employed or self-employed for tax and National Insurance contributions, written specifically for the use of individuals. A similar Factsheet is being prepared for the use of employers and, until it is published, leaflet IR56 should continue to be used. Further information: ES/FS1 – Employed or self-employed for tax [...]

How to future-proof HR 11th September 2008, London Conference Highlights: A fresh look at values-based recruitment, job-sculpting and succession- planning Research results on how organisations are measuring the return on investment in talent Understanding your candidates – from school- leavers to established high potential people How to balance business drivers and diversity matters Case studies [...]

How to align online recruitment with organisational needs 10th September 2008, London Masterclass highlights: How to meet candidate expectations Individuality – how to ensure that the online process suits each job role Creating a site to enhance your organisation’s brand and boosting employee buy-in Employer case study from City Inn Visit the website for further [...]

By Randy Miller, Director of Services, Journyx The first part of this series discussed how to introduce positive changes and new methods into your technical support department. This second part will focus on staffing and management, which are often seen as the most critical parts of the operation. Evaluating Your Staff Take a look at [...]

The Department of Trade & Industry Minister, David Cretney, will be asking Tynwald to support an increase in the rate of the minimum wage on the Isle of Man at the sitting of the Court on17 June 2008. The proposed increase, from £5.60 to £6 per hour, is a 7.1% increase, and, if approved, will [...]

The Office of the Information Commissioner has published a new “good practice note” on the data protection issues that employers must consider when transferring employee information under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). TUPE ensures that employees’ terms and conditions of employment are preserved when a business or undertaking is transferred [...]

In an Impact Assessment document, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) has confirmed the increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) recommended by the Low Pay Commission to take effect from 1 October 2008, and provided details of an increase in the NMW exemption for Work Trials from a period of 3 [...]