Home - Payroll News
- Recent HR News
- FREE Newsletter
- Payroll and HR FAQs
- Payroll Forum
- Payroll Calendars
- Payroll Tools
- Monthly Brain Teaser
- The Authors
- About Us
- Contact us
BIS
Employee-Shareholder Employment Contracts
Clause 27 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill amends the Employment Rights Act 1996 and gives the necessary legislative backing to the new Employee-Shareholder employment status (in addition to the existing worker and employee statuses). This status will allow a company to issue shares to a new employee in exchange for them forfeiting some employment [...]
Employment Law Review 2013
The Coalition Government launched a Parliament-long Employment Law Review when it came to power in May 2010. The aim of this was to review the complexity and efficiency of employment regulation. The overall objective is to improve the legislation, thereby ensuring flexibility, effectiveness and fairness in the labour market. Last week, The Department for Business, [...]
Unpaid Parental Leave Extension to 18 Weeks
This article is written as a reminder to information that we have published previously. The term ‘parental leave’, as currently used in employment legislation, refers to a period of up to four weeks’ unpaid leave in a year that may be taken by both natural and adoptive parents per child. This is limited to: 13 [...]
The Percentage Threshold Scheme
On 17 January 2013, the Government published its response to the review into sickness absence that was published on 21 November 2011. The report, ‘Health at Work – Independent Review of Sickness’, was jointly sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and had a [...]
DWP Publishes Response to Independent Review of Sickness
As part of the announcement of the Welfare Bill in February 2011, the Prime Minister announced a review into sickness absence. This was jointly chaired by David Frost CBE, the former Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce and Dame Carol Black, then National Director for Health and Work. The objectives of the review [...]
National Minimum Wage Compliance and Enforcement
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), in association with HMRC, have published their latest report ‘National Minimum Wage: Compliance and Enforcement’. This covers an 18-month period to 30 September 2012 and sets out the Government’s view – ‘everyone who is entitled to the NMW should receive it’. he National Minimum Wage was established [...]
Redundancy Notice Period Cut to 45 Days
Following an earlier ‘Call for Evidence’, in summer 2012, a consultation on changes to the rules surrounding collective redundancies was published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. One of the aims of this consultation, according to Norman Lamb, Minister for Employment Relations, was to change the rules so that they fit with the [...]
Women in the Workplace
On 04 September 2012, the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee issued a press notice launching an inquiry into ‘Women in the Workplace’. Interested parties were invited to comment on the following range of issues and themes that the Committee will be considering: Do the Gender Equality Duty and the Equality Act go far enough in [...]
Employee Rights Exchange for Capital Gains Tax Benefits (2)
On 16 October 2012, we announced that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced proposals at the Conservative Party Conference for ‘owner-employer’ contracts. Under these contracts, employees would gain a Capital Gains Tax exemption for shares given to them in exchange for sacrificing some UK employment rights. On 18 October 2012, the Department for Business, [...]
Employment Law Reforms – Overview
On 14 September 2012, Business Secretary Vince Cable, from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), announced a package of reforms designed to ‘simplify and speed up the process of ending the employment relationship when it breaks down’. These reforms are for the benefit of both the employee and employer and are an attempt [...]
Student Loan Threshold 2013 / 14
In an informal note from HMRC’s Software Developer Support Team (SDST), developers have been advised that the Student loan threshold for 2013/14 is to be set at £16,365. This is an increase in the sum of £570.00 on the current threshold of £15,795.00. This informal note is based upon information which they have been provided [...]
Surrogacy Ruling Sought from ECJ
The case law C-D v S-T ET/2505033/11 may, in time, rewrite maternity legislation in the UK. A woman in long-term employment had a child through the use of a surrogate in 2011. The woman began breastfeeding the child, induced by drugs and hormone treatment. Her employer refused maternity leave, though offered a career break, reduced [...]
Dismissal Process ‘Call for Evidence’
During its term in office, The Coalition Government is already conducting a review of employment laws and regulations that may prevent an employer taking on new employees. This was detailed in our news item on 26 November 2011 as a result of Business Secretary Vince Cable’s speech to the Engineering Employers’ Federation on 23 November [...]
Employment Law Review – Annual Update March 2012
BIS have published their updated Annual Review document detailing the employment law reforms that are already going through Parliament as a result of its Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation: Effective 06 April 2012 (and subject to Parliamentary approval of secondary legislation): Increasing the unfair dismissal qualifying period from 1 to 2 years Increasing the maximum limit [...]
Student Loan Early Repayment Charge to be ‘Postponed’
The Government issued a consultation last year concerning proposals to penalise students whose circumstances allow them to repay their loans early. The existing repayment rules for student loans allow any student, at any time, to pay more than is required under their loan agreement. The Government’s reforms to the financing of higher education involve: applying [...]
Qualifying Period for Unfair Dismissal Increases
On 27 January 2011, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Tribunals Service published a joint consultation document entitled ‘Resolving workplace disputes: A consultation’. This set out the latest Government proposals for reforming employment laws. The consultation closed on 20 April 2011. The intention of the reforms is to deliver ‘a flexible, [...]
Unpaid Parental Leave Increase Delayed
The term “parental leave”, as currently used in employment legislation, refers to a period of up to four weeks’ unpaid leave in a year that may be taken by both natural and adoptive parents, but limited to: 13 weeks in the period up to a child’s fifth birthday, or, in the case of a disabled [...]
Maximum Deposit Order increases to £1,000
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has laid The Employment Tribunals (Increase of Maximum Deposit) Order 2012 before parliament. This Order gives authority for Regulations to be made authorising employment tribunals to order the payment of a deposit of up to £1,000 if a party wishes to continue to participate in proceedings. The amendment [...]
Autumn Statement 2011 (3) – Independent Review of Sickness
As part of the announcement of the Government’s Welfare Bill in February 2011, the Prime Minister announced a review into sickness absence. This was to be jointly chaired by David Frost CBE, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce and Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work. This was all part of [...]
New proposals for resolving workplace disputes
On 27 January, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Tribunals Service published a joint consultation document entitled Resolving workplace disputes: A consultation, setting out the latest Government proposals for reforming employment laws. These new proposals are set against a backdrop of an ever increasing number of Tribunal claims – 236,000 in [...]
