The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has confirmed that some of the provisions of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill will be introduced outside the common April and October commencement dates. A BIS spokesperson told   More...
14 February 2013 11:18

Large-scale collective redundancies will no longer require a 90-day minimum consultation phase, after the Government announced its decision to reduce the period to 45 days. Employment relations minister Jo Swinson, pictured, confirmed that a new 45-  More...
18 December 2012 12:27

More than 500,000 people started an apprenticeship in the year to July 2012, according to the latest government figures, with higher apprenticeships seeing the largest growth. Statistics published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill  More...
11 October 2012 12:48

The Government's latest employment law reforms have been met with a lukewarm response from employment lawyers and industry bodies. Business secretary Vince Cable today unveiled measures aimed at giving employers "more flexibility and confidence in ma  More...
14 September 2012 14:55

Controversy surrounding the Beecroft report reached new heights yesterday when the Government published it ahead of schedule, due to the emergence of leaked copy. The Government was set to publish the report later this week but, in light of the  More...
22 May 2012 18:02

The National Audit Office (NAO) has said that the Government's Regional Growth Fund, which was set up to support growth and boost private-sector employment, has not delivered "value for money", with some of the jobs generated expected to cost more than   More...
11 May 2012 15:22

The Government has announced that the national minimum wage for young workers will be frozen when the new adult rates come into force later this year. The Government has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) to keep the minimum  More...
19 March 2012 11:43

The Government has today announced the publication of a call for evidence that could result in an overhaul of the dismissal process. The Government is seeking to establish "whether current dismissal procedures are too onerous, too complex, and   More...
15 March 2012 16:14

Although there has been an increase in the number of women appointed to board-level positions in the past year, the rate of improvement is slower than that laid out by Lord Davies in his report on boardroom diversity 12 months ago. A year on from the  More...
13 March 2012 14:07

Skills minister John Hayes has further outlined government plans to improve the quality of apprenticeships. In a statement to the House of Commons, Hayes said today that he wanted to build on plans unveiled last year to improve apprenticeship st  More...
27 February 2012 15:46

Making sure that more people with disabilities or learning difficulties, and those from minorities, are able to benefit from apprenticeships is a priority for the Government, according to skills minister John Hayes. At the launch  More...
09 February 2012 12:29

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chief executive Stephen Hester may have bowed to public pressure and waived a £1 million bonus, but how much can executive pay really be reined in? Employment lawyer Emma Sanderson looks at Vince Cable's proposals to limit b  More...
30 January 2012 13:17

The Government's plans for an overhaul of the executive pay system have been announced. The proposals were first outlined in September 2011 by business secretary Vince Cable and more detail has been provided in a speech given to MPs. Speaking in   More...
24 January 2012 12:02

All new apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds will last for at least one year, as part of a series of reforms aimed at strengthening apprenticeships announced yesterday by skills minister John Hayes. Within the new measures, the Gov  More...
20 December 2011 12:09

Minister for employment relations Edward Davey last night commended the "fantastic work" of the organisations shortlisted for Personnel Today's new award for Innovation in Dispute Resolution in a speech at the ceremony. The award, sponsored by medi  More...
24 November 2011 15:48

The Government has today confirmed plans to overhaul key areas of employment legislation, following a consultation on resolving workplace disputes and the outcome of the "Red Tape Challenge" review of employment law. The proposals were outlined this  More...
23 November 2011 13:13

Proposed "protected conversations" will not shield employers from discrimination claims, employment relations minister Edward Davey has confirmed this morning. A consultation into protected conversations, which would allow employers to rai  More...
23 November 2011 12:25

The adage that "too many cooks spoil the broth" is never more accurate than when applied to employment law. Joanne Owers, chair of the Employment Lawyers Association, believes that the kind of proposals leaked from Adrian Beecroft's report this wee  More...
28 October 2011 11:01

The Government has called on businesses to suggest ways to reduce regulation, as it turns the focus of its red tape review onto employment law. For the next three weeks, the Government's "Red Tape Challenge" will scrutinise 60 different cross-go  More...
03 October 2011 14:36

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v Coward and another FACTS Ms Coward was made redundant and, soon after, her former employer was dissolved. She claimed unpaid statutory redundancy pay of £5,481 and unpaid notice pay of £2,0  More...
12 September 2011 14:47