This week’s news in brief
Pensions poll
More than half of all workers believe their employer should be responsible
for ensuring adequate provisions for retirement, finds a study. In a poll of
1,000 workers, 54 per cent said that employers should be responsible for
retirement income. Of the 43 per cent that were concerned about retirement
funds, more than three-quarters said they are prepared to increase their
pension contributions. www.bacon-woodrow.com
Pay awards drop
Pay awards fell back to 2.8 per cent in the three months up to and including
June 2002, according to independent analysts Industrial Relations Services.
Settlements had dropped to 2.5 per cent before Christmas 2001 and later rose to
3 per cent, driven up by above-average increases in April for teachers, nurses
and others in the public sector. www.irsonline.co.uk
Easy e-talent
Companies are no longer having difficulty recruiting suitable e-business
staff, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resources Consulting. A poll of 17
firms, many employing more than 5,000 people, finds that none had experienced
difficulty attracting e-talent in the past year. In last year’s survey, the
majority of companies said they struggled to fill such roles. www.mercerhr.com
NHS Unison support
Unison has agreed to support a government model that ensures the majority of
NHS staff remain employed by the service in all Private Finance Initiative
schemes. The Retention of Employment model means most staff including porters,
cleaners, cooks, laundry and security personnel will remained employed by the
NHS. It was backed by more than two to one by the union’s health executive. www.unison.org.uk
Low-cost car buying
The BBC and John Lewis have signed separate deals with Alphabet (GB) to
provide their employees with a low-cost, hassle-free way to buy a new car. The
employee car ownership agreements will give staff use of a brand new car for a
single monthly payment, which will cover routine servicing and replacements,
insurance, AA breakdown cover and road tax. An advice centre will supply
support. www.bbc.co.uk
Fat cats campaign
The TUC is campaigning against ‘fat cat’ pay packages – targeting an award
of millions of pounds proposed for chiefs at mobile phone company Vodafone. A
planned rewards package would see chief executive Chris Gent earn up to seven
times his basic salary in long-term awards. The TUC is calling for Vodafone
shareholders to vote against the pay awards. www.tuc.org.uk
