All three main political parties included in their manifesto pledges, the creation and support of a Green Investment Bank (GIB), in order to help finance the transition to a low carbon economy. The parties differed on the exact role of the bank, with Labour favouring an infrastructure funding institution and the Conservatives opting for early-stage start-up investing. In reality, a mixture will be required and it seems that other funding bodies such The Carbon Trust and Infrastructure UK may be amalgamated into the GIB, to avoid duplication of roles....
It has been reported that Liverpool FC has allegedly offered Manager Rafa Benitez a £3 million pound sum to leave his employment with the club. Mr Benitez had been employed on a fixed term contract which still has over 4 years left to run. The contract allegedly contained a clause stating that if his employment was terminated early he would receive £16 million in compensation....
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned employers against imposing a blanket ban on football during the World Cup, which starts on 11 June 2010. The TUC believes that a blanket ban runs the risk of demotivating staff and losing hours through unauthorised sick days. Instead, the TUC encourages employers to accommodate staff requests to watch matches....
When looking at unfair dismissal cases involving an employee`s misconduct, tribunals will look at whether the employer`s investigation into the alleged misconduct was fair and reasonable. This means that the employer need not have conclusive direct proof of the employee`s misconduct but a genuine and reasonable belief....
Adam Walker is reported to be the first teacher to appear before the General Teaching Council (GTC) accused of racial and religious intolerance. He resigned from his role as a technology teacher, after the head teacher instructed IT staff to investigate Mr Walker`s use of the internet on his school laptop....
The case of McWilliam & Others v Glasgow City Council is the first case to consider the criteria set out for a compromise agreement to be valid under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. This case looked at whether there was a need for the employee to have received independent legal advice as to the terms and effect of the proposed agreement....
When applying for a position some posts require the applicant to hold certain qualifications. However, what happens when you are already employed and in order for you to attain a higher-paid grade the requisite is that you must have a degree?...
The version of Pac-Man added by Google to celebrate the 30th birthday of the game, cost employers almost five million hours of work time and $120 million, suggests a study by software firm Rescue Time....
The Queen`s Speech today outlined 22 parliamentary Bills to be debated in the new Parliament....
More than one quarter (28%) of employers surveyed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and KPMG named the Working Time Regulations (WTR), which includes limits on working hours per week as well as setting compulsory rest periods and minimum annual leave entitlements, as the legislation that has the most negative effect on their business....
The new coalition Government has today published its key policy plans. The plans are stated as being based on central principles of "freedom, fairness and responsibility" and cover a breadth of issues from banking to immigration....
The High Court injunction granted on Monday, preventing the proposed BA strike, gave momentary hope for the 450,000 passengers likely to be affected by the strike....
When there is an accident at work everyone`s first thought is understandably to look after the injured person. However, employers need to be aware that from the minute an accident occurs everything which is said or done could be used in evidence in subsequent court proceedings....
A survey conducted by the BMA Scotland has found many hospital doctors are too scared to raise concerns about patient care or staff behaviour in case it harms their career....
After both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats stated in their manifestos that they planned to abolish the Default Retirement Age (DRA), the new Coalition Government yesterday declared that it will be "phased out". The Coalition Agreement does not set in detail exactly how this would happen, merely stating that they will "hold a review to set the date at which the state pension age starts to rise to 66, although it will not be sooner than 2016 for men and 2020 for women....
Research commissioned by the charity, Business in the Community (BITC), of FTSE 100 employers has identified enhanced financial performance for companies that strategically manage their employees` health and wellbeing. The research highlights the business benefits for employers who take a proactive approach to the prevention of illness and promotion of health and wellbeing in their work places. These benefits range from higher employee engagement, reduced absence and attrition rates, higher productivity, better retention and recruitment, as well as reputational benefits for the company and enhanced brand image....
The world cup is fast approaching and with it comes the inevitable sickies. So how should employers deal with it?...
Factsheet on new definition of houses in multiple occupation...
For years employers have had to contend with vague and often illegible sick notes from GPs saying that their employee is suffering from "stress" or "neck pain". The employee was often signed off for 2 or 3 weeks and there was very little an employer could do about it. All this has changed with the introduction of the Statement of Fitness for Work, or "fit notes", introduced on 6 April 2010....
Duncan Holley, a secretary of a branch of Unite, alleges that he was summarily dismissed by BA because he took time off work before Christmas to carry out union duties....