…in brief

This week’s news in brief

Biggest ever claim

US supermarket giant Wal-Mart is facing what could become the biggest
civil-rights court case in history over alleged sexual discrimination.  A US judge will decide on the validity of
claims from up to 1.6 million present and former Wal-Mart employees that they
were routinely underpaid and overlooked for promotion.  www.walmart.com

CSR academy plans

Plans for a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) academy has moved a
step closer as Stephen Timms, the minister responsible, announced the new
members of a steering group to promote and develop CSR in UK businesses. The
members will explore and test the recommendations of April’s Changing Manager
Mindsets report on the development and spread of skills and competencies for
CSR.  www.dti.gov.uk

Pensions gap cut

The UK’s top companies have reduced the size of the pensions ‘black hole’,
but FTSE 100 pension schemes need 35 per cent more capital if they are to plug
their shortfalls, according to new research. A study by German investment bank
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, reveals that FTSE 100 pension schemes are now
facing a combined shortfall of £49bn, down from £62.4bn. www.drkw.com

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EC jobs website

The European Commission has launched an interactive website to enable job
hunters to post their CVs online, so they can be selected and browsed by
prospective employers. The European Job Mobility Portal also allows job hunters
to check the European Union’s database for available positions http://europa.eu.int/eures/index.jsp