The UK has secured a deal to keep its opt-out from the Working Time Directive following a meeting of European employment ministers yesterday (Monday). EU member states voted to allow the UK to keep its exemption which allows employees to work longer  More...
10 June 2008 11:40

HR news and analysis including: legal experts warn that maternity law changes made this month could cost employers huge amounts of money in pension contributions Metropolitan Police HR director Martin Tiplady discusses the need to ramp up  More...
18 April 2008 15:40

HR news and analysis including: an exclusive interview with skills secretary John Denham Dragons' Den entrepreneur James Caan's thoughts on HR employee engagement in government departments and what is an acceptable kind of away-day whe  More...
04 April 2008 16:39

MPs have slammed the government's Discrimination Law Review for failing to adequately address pitfalls in diversity law and provide no real solution to the gender pay gap. The Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee has today published   More...
09 February 2008 08:00

The government has revealed the 20 commissioners who will be members of the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills (CES). The members include a broad range of representation from the private, public and third sectors, and from trade unions. Th  More...
11 December 2007 13:00

Fears that domestic legislation will be passed giving temporary workers full employment rights have grown after EU ministers failed to reach agreement on the Agency Workers Directive last week. The UK government was one of the few that opposed th  More...
10 December 2007 10:30

A Conservative government would make hiring staff easier every year it is in power, David Cameron claimed today. The Opposition leader had promising words for employers in a speech centred on transport and taxation policy at the CBI annual co  More...
27 November 2007 14:30

A new website which utilises social networking technology common to sites like Facebook has been set up to help employers improve the skills of their staff. The site www.skillstories.org has been developed by the Department for Innovation, Un  More...
22 November 2007 09:23

The Financial Services Authority is tightening up its regulatory regime, which means senior HR staff will have a greater role to play in determining how firms comply with the rules. XpertHR's FSA specialists Nicholas Thorpe and Neil Johnston report.   More...
29 October 2007 08:00

Mike Berry hosts this week's programme which includes: News from the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth The Commision for Racial Equality responds to claims of racial discrimination from its own staff And the CIPD's Linda Holbeche's pla  More...
28 September 2007 15:23

Former CBI chief Dibgy, Lord Jones of Birmingham, has admitted that his skills envoy job was only half finished when he left to become minister of trade promotion - but the government will not confirm whether the skills envoy role will continue. Jo  More...
23 July 2007 07:59

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has warned the government against forcing the human resources function into a ‘corporate policeman’ role, following Gordon Brown’s draft legislative programme unveiled yesterday  More...
12 July 2007 10:30

Lord Digby Jones is no longer the government skills envoy, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has confirmed. As Jones was appointed minister for trade promotion in prime minister Gordon Brown’s government of ‘all   More...
11 July 2007 14:00

A flood of age discrimination claims could leave UK employers facing a £12m compensation bill, government figures have revealed. Statistics from the now-defunct Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed about 600 claims had been registered since   More...
10 July 2007 08:00

Alan Johnson has been appointed health secretary by prime minister Gordon Brown, following the resignation of Patricia Hewitt. The former postman moves across from his position as education secretary and was the runner-up in the Labour Party  More...
28 June 2007 14:00

The Trade and Industry Select Committee has criticised the government’s reduced consultation period on post office closures. In a report published today (11 June), the committee said a six-week public consultation on the plans was “insufficient”   More...
11 June 2007 13:30

The government is to target cheating employers with a new regime of fines if they pay below the national minimum wage. In a consultation, the government has proposed options including fixed penalty fines linked to the number of workers who are und  More...
17 May 2007 10:30

Alistair Darling, secretary of state for trade and industry , believes investment in skills and research and development has put the UK's largest companies at the top of the European league of wealth creation. The Department of Trade and Industry  More...
24 April 2007 08:38

Government proposals for greater use of mediation in resolving workplace disputes will fail unless a rbitration service Acas   receives more funding, employment experts have warned. Last week a report by Michael Gibbons looking at improv  More...
27 March 2007 07:29

The Trade and Industry Select Committee of MPs has launched an enquiry into the impact on UK business of the accession of the 10 member states in 2004 and 2007. The committee will consider the following questions: Is the UK exploiting the   More...
09 February 2007 09:20

Government departments have been accused of "a shocking level of hypocrisy "  over ageism after claims that civil servants could be retired against their will. The charity Age Concern said it had uncovered information showing that  More...
24 January 2007 08:00

The Department of Trade and Industry  has refuted the CBI's claims that it could be abolished without having any significant impact on employers. The president of the CBI employers' body, Martin Broughton, told The Times  earlier this week th  More...
15 January 2007 08:45

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could be abolished without having any significant impact on employers, according to the president of employers body the  CBI . Martin Broughton, who is also chairman of British Airways, told the   More...
08 January 2007 11:59

The Public and Commercial Services Union ( PCS ) is balloting 280,000 workers in more than 200 government departments about industrial action.   The union wants to hold a one-day strike on 31 January. It said staff are angry about job cuts, outso  More...
02 January 2007 12:46

About 5,000 small and medium-sized businesses (with less than 250 staff) are being offered a year’s free access to online HR advice in an EU-funded project. The HR Business Advisor initiative, backed by the Department of Trade and Industry , p  More...
20 December 2006 08:07

Second-tier government departments are failing to deliver despite strong leadership, according to the second round of capability reviews  published by cabinet secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell. Reviews of the performance of t  More...
14 December 2006 09:30

The government has announced that the skills and training expertise of the Automotive Academy are to be applied across the whole of the manufacturing sector. The academy is to become part of the government's new National Manufacturing Skills Aca  More...
08 December 2006 12:36

Attempts to reach an agreement on Europe's working time directive have again failed following lengthy talks in Brussels yesterday between employment ministers. UK employers groups have welcomed the news, but the TUC said the failure to reach an agre  More...
08 November 2006 11:54

Bupa Hospitals has backed the government's bid to get long-term incapacity benefit claimants back to work. The business has recruited five incapacity benefit claimants through the Go Forward scheme, a government-backed initiative aimed at getting t  More...
19 October 2006 11:39

The government has today unveiled the 'assisted' areas where businesses can apply for regional aid for the next seven years. It has published a map showing regions where financial assistance may be granted to businesses under European Union law.   More...
10 October 2006 16:40

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been criticised for its handling of the collapse of car manufacturer MG Rover last year.  More...
26 July 2006 11:29

DTI forced to pay out over wasting charity time.  More...
13 July 2006 10:55

The UK's top companies are outperforming their European competitors, according to this year's value added scoreboard, produced by the Department of Trade and Industry   More...
03 July 2006 14:48

Dear Darling letter outlines PM's goals for DTI.  More...
17 May 2006 13:04

Alistair Darling is the new trade and industry secretary following a radical Cabinet reshuffle by prime minister Tony Blair.  More...
05 May 2006 11:54

Royal Mail call for cash could lead to future conflict with union.  More...
04 May 2006 11:57

Royal Mail has asked the government to allow it to give postal workers a stake in the company  More...
03 April 2006 08:00

Entrepreneurial spirit in the UK is being crushed by workplace environments that are dominated by secrecy, suspicion and risk averse cultures  More...
28 March 2006 08:06

Refugees and other disadvantaged groups will be explicitly recognised within Jobcentre Plus' jobs target for the first time under new government plans unveiled today  More...
22 March 2006 08:49

The Department of Trade and Industry has launched a company visits initiative to highlight successful roll-outs of information and consultation schemes. HR professionals and managers are being invited to visit employers around the UK to see first-hand  More...
08 March 2006 14:39

The Department of Trade & Industry last year tripled its spending on temporary staff despite being ordered to slash employee costs.  More...
06 February 2006 12:01

TUC report calls for government to rethink attitude to supporting manufacturing.  More...
02 February 2006 08:37

CBI chief Digby Jones has rejected a request from ministers to help implement pro-union changes, according to reports.   More...
22 November 2005 09:00

The government is set for a row with retail unions over allowing supermarkets and other large shops to open for extra hours on Sundays, according to weekend reports  More...
07 November 2005 10:43

Patricia Hewitt, the former trade and industry secretary, has admitted breaking the Sex Discrimination Act when she overruled advisers and appointed a woman to an influential job instead of a better-qualified male candidate  More...
12 October 2005 11:17

A whistleblowing charity is to be compensated by the DTI, after it was criticised by the parliamentary ombudsman for the way it handled requests for information.  More...
07 September 2005 09:05

Rick Haythornthwaite, former chief executive of the engineering group Invensys, has been appointed to head up the government's Better Regulation Commission.   More...
15 August 2005 08:00

The TUC is urging bar and club workers to e-mail the government to push for a smoking ban in workplaces.  More...
27 June 2005 10:30

TUC calls on Blair to be clearer on plans for European reform.  More...
24 June 2005 14:22

First they lost the bowler hats, and now it’s the ties.   More...
21 June 2005 11:35

Trade and industry secretary Alan Johnson has announced the appointment of inspectors to investigate and report on the affairs of the MG Rover Group, including Phoenix Venture Holdings and MGR Capital.  More...
31 May 2005 16:30

Personnel Today wanted to find out how much the Accounting for People taskforce cost. Here is the DTI's response in full.  More...
31 May 2005 10:00

Extending the rules regulating staff transfers to professional services firms could lead to job losses and claims for unfair dismissal.  More...
27 May 2005 08:00

The CBI has said that the union modernisation fund must have water-tight safeguards to prevent "taxpayers' money being abused by unscrupulous unions".  More...
26 May 2005 14:30

Operations guidelines for the government's union modernisation fund have been published.  More...
26 May 2005 11:00

Second six months of parenting leave should be shared, EOC tells DTI   More...
25 May 2005 15:25

Moves aimed at easing the burden of red tape for smaller businesses will be announced later today   More...
24 May 2005 10:00

Our irascible insider HR Hartley on the DTI's name game  More...
24 May 2005 00:00

Having worked their socks off during the election campaign, MPs are off for a well-earned 80-day rest.  More...
23 May 2005 08:00

The Queen's Speech has laid out the forthcoming legislation for the next parliamentary term, with education and training being the government's "main concern".  More...
17 May 2005 17:12

The UK lags behind almost all of its major economic rivals in terms of overall competitiveness, and has now been overtaken by Chile. Government attempts to address the issue have only created confusion, following a botched rebranding of the Departme  More...
17 May 2005 00:00

The Liberal Democrats have joined the Labour and Conservative parties in announcing a re-shuffle. In moves most relevant to HR, Norman Lamb takes over from Malcolm Bruce as trade and industry spokesman, while David Laws is promoted from number two in   More...
16 May 2005 16:16

Earlier this week we brought you news of the ministerial changes within the government. Here, for the record, are details of the Conservative shadow reshuffle  More...
13 May 2005 16:16

The government has decided to rename the Department for Productivity, Endergy and Industry the DTI  More...
13 May 2005 15:15

The government’s decision to rebrand the Department of Trade and Industry has been denounced as “utterly pointless” by the Institute of Directors  More...
10 May 2005 12:00

If the Labour government had been a private company on 5 May, it would have seriously questioned its HR strategy after struggling to recruit and retain voters. A predicted nationwide vote of 37% for the old government means about 50 Labour MPs have se  More...
10 May 2005 01:00

The prime minister has had to settle for a compromise cabinet, according to newspaper reports at the weekend  More...
09 May 2005 12:00

David Blunkett has returned to the Cabinet as work and pensions secretary   More...
09 May 2005 10:15

The CBI has called on the newly elected Labour government to make "courageous decisions" and continue public sector reforms.  More...
06 May 2005 12:20

The election is over and Labour lost a lot of ground as the party saw its majority slashed.   More...
06 May 2005 11:50

The first meeting of the dealership sub-group of the MG Rover Task Force was held at the CBI yesterday (19 April).  More...
20 April 2005 09:00

Workers at MG Rover’s Longbridge plant in Birmingham are holding a mass meeting to hear about efforts to save the factory  More...
11 April 2005 09:00

The government has announced a support package worth more than £40m for Rover MG's supply chain following the failure of the car maker and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation to reach agreement on a joint venture.  More...
08 April 2005 10:30

The Employers Organisation for Local Government (EO) has produced guidance to assist authorities in measuring savings in staffing costs as they prepare their first Annual Efficiency Statements, due on 15 April. As part of the Government's Efficiency R  More...
07 April 2005 08:57

More employees are aware of their right to request working flexible hours, according to Department of Trade and Industry statistics.  More...
05 April 2005 09:48

Appointments will make sure the voice of businesses from the ethnic minority communities are heard in government  More...
30 March 2005 14:20

Government plans to transform the Better Regulation Task Force into a new commission – as announced in the Budget – will make a tangible difference to business, a leading member of the taskforce has insisted  More...
29 March 2005 01:00

The UK Resource Centre for Women in science, engineering and technology (SET) has received a £2.8m boost from the DTI. The centre, designed to assist the recruitment, retention and progression of women in SET careers, will receive an additional £800,0  More...
23 March 2005 08:07

The government's rsponse to the Gershon review has already started to bite, with 12,500 jobs cut and 7,800 moved out of London  More...
17 March 2005 09:00

Gordon Brown delivers his final Budget today before the anticipated general election in May. Many commentators expect the chancellor to include several pre-election sweeteners to encourage the business vote.  More...
15 March 2005 00:00

The TSSA insists that if call centre jobs are outsourced to India the company should repay millions of pounds of taxpayers money granted in subsidies   More...
03 March 2005 09:00

Personnel Today's reader petition adds weight to CIPD calls for proper accounting of employee value on the last day of consultation on Operating and Financial Review proposals  More...
28 February 2005 11:40

Some business groups have expressed concern that maternity pay is to rise and will last nine months by 2007, with futher improvements for workers promised in the next parliament  More...
28 February 2005 10:30

The minimum wage will rise by 9% to £5.30 if Labour wins the General Election, Tony Blair is expected to announce tomorrow.  More...
24 February 2005 11:20

Three Yorkshire companies charging fees to provide non-existent jobs have been wound up following an investigation by the DTI.  More...
18 February 2005 08:15

The public sector pensions gap is much bigger than government predictions suggest  More...
17 February 2005 10:50

Compnaies that supply anti-pollution goods and services believe the CBI has convinced the Government that anti-pollution policies will be bad for business and cost jobs  More...
01 February 2005 11:00

Better disclosure on directors' pay is leading to improved dialogue between companies and shareholders, according to research published by the Department of Trade and Industry.  More...
25 January 2005 11:11

UK women are increasing their share of UK entrepreneurial activity, which is growing fast   More...
21 January 2005 09:30

The Government is considering a proposal to add an extra bank holiday to help to improve the work-life balance.  More...
10 January 2005 10:50

The trade and industry secretary has announced a £4.5m grant to create up to 460 jobs at a manufacturing facility in Essex.  More...
17 December 2004 11:20

Secretary of state for trade and industry Patricia Hewitt is today expected to promise stronger powers for the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, which will combine the functions of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commi  More...
18 November 2004 12:20

The CBI has applauded the government's five-year plan for the Department of Trade and Industry, saying it "hits all the right notes" for business. The DTI's programme maps out 'a new industrial policy' with the ambition of making the UK the most attra  More...
18 November 2004 08:00

The Department of Trade and Indstry (DTI) will today launch its five-year programme putting science, innovation and technology at the centre of the UK's future industrial success The programme maps out 'a new industrial policy' with the ambition of ma  More...
17 November 2004 12:05

Employment law has proved an expensive business for the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) after it had to pulp a new legislation guide because it was incorrect. The DTI spent £203,000 reprinting the leaflet because officials complained that it was m  More...
25 October 2004 12:42

The development of offshore wind power in could create up to 76,000 jobs in the UK, according to a new report. The report, Offshore Wind - Onshore Jobs, said that up to 38,000 of the jobs would be made in the North East due to its history of manufact  More...
20 October 2004 10:58

The Prime Minister has vowed to launch a fresh crackdown on red tape. Speaking at a CBI meeting yesterday, Tony Blair pledged to make better regulation a centrepiece of the British presidency of the European Union next year. During a speec  More...
19 October 2004 10:10

New corporate reporting requirements which were due to come into force on 1 January 2005 are likely to be delayed for at least three months. The potential delay, reported in the Financial Times, comes after intense lobbying from business over the timi  More...
14 October 2004 09:20

The Department of Trade and Industry spells out what the proposed single equalities body, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will mean for employers  More...
14 September 2004 17:15

In 2003, British trade unions made their voices heard on a number of different issues. Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber outlines the 2004 agenda   More...
01 March 2004 09:35