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Dear Subscriber,
It has been a rather slow month in employment law terms with several planned initiatives now being shelved or delayed, and no new issues to report. I have, therefore, taken the opportunity to shamelessly plug my forthcoming sponsored cycle ride in aid of two very worthwhile charities, as well as bringing you up to date on developments. Read on for more.
Please contact me if you would like to find out a bit more about any of these items. If you need any help or advice why not take advantage of my free initial consultation.
Please forward this email to any of your contacts who might find it of benefit.
Regards
Peter Etherington
Tel: 01664 430373
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| All Change for Government Plans? |
| Will the Equality Act Survive the Change in Government? |
Rumours have been rife over the last couple of weeks, that the new Government may decide to postpone the implementation of key aspects of the new Equality Act. These are due to come into force on 1 October 2010 and are summarised in our April newsletter.
Whilst the most recent reports indicate that the October implementation date is still planned, there is a question over whether some aspects of the Act will be changed or removed before then. In particular, the Coalition has not set out its policy on the section on pay privacy (i.e. that it will be unlawful to attempt to bar employees discussing their pay with colleagues) or positive action (allowing discrimination in favour of a member of a minority group in recruitment). It is possible that these two elements may not survive.
Watch this space for further updates. |
| Further Changes? |
| Vetting and Barring Scheme on Hold |
We reported in our newsletter from October last year on the new Vetting and Barring legislation. The next stage of this legislation was due to come into force from July this year but it has now been put on hold. Under the original plans, new employees and volunteers working with children or vulnerable adults would have had to pay to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority from July 2010; and existing employees and volunteers would have had to pay to register from November 2010.
The new Government has stated that the new rules would have been too onerous and could have resulted in volunteers in particular ceasing to carry out their activities (e.g. parent volunteers in schools). The Government now wishes to scale back the plans to "common sense levels".
Relevant employers should be aware that the new legislation that took effect last October remains in force, so they may still be prosecuted if they knowingly recruit a banned individual, and should continue to carry out enhanced CRB checks in relation to employees and volunteers.
Contact me if you are unsure whether or not this affects you. |
| Can you Sponsor Me? |
| 50 Mile Charity Cycle Ride |
I am joining a group of friends and colleagues from Melton Mowbray in the Pork Pie Pedal on 10 July in aid of Cancer Research UK and Rainbows Children's Hospice. I am not a cyclist, so 50 miles is going to prove to be a real challenge.
Please click here if you would like to sponsor me. Your support would be appreciated. |
