Last updated 26 February
Petition against the NICs increase launched
In January the CIPD policy team launched its manifesto for recovery Platform 2010. One of the calls to Government is to abandon the increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions, scheduled for April 2011.
We have now joined a large coalition to launch an online petition against the increase which will be presented to Government before the Budget, expected on March 24. Members who agree that the increase should be scrapped, are asked to show their support and sign the online petition.
New Government guidance on the right to request time off for training
The right to request time to train was included in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act, which received Royal Assent in November 2009. The introduction of the right will be phased and will be made available to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees from April 2010 before being extended to all employees from April 2011. This will give smaller organisations and businesses more time to prepare for the introduction of the new right. Employers will need to be ready to handle any requests they receive under the new statutory right to request time to train.
CIPD partner with Backing Young Britain to promote internships
The CIPD has been working with the Department for Work and Pensions in recent weeks to help publicise their ‘Backing Young Britain’ campaign, which aims to create new opportunities for young people and ensure their valuable skills and experience aren’t wasted. Over 440 organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors are already supporting the campaign, which contains information and advice on:
- Offering an apprenticeship
- Giving a young person a job
- Providing work experience opportunities
You can find out more on the Backing Young Britain website, or by contacting your local Jobcentre Plus
CIPD launches Platform 2010, a manifesto for economic recovery
The CIPD have launched a policy manifesto containing six calls, we believe will ensure a sustained economic recovery. The six calls are:
- Delay fiscal deficit reduction measures, but freeze public sector pay bill and conduct efficiency review of all quangos
- Abandon the increase in employers’ NICs planned for 2011
- Freeze the youth and development rates of the National Minimum Wage in real terms in 2010
- Remove the default retirement age and extend the right to request flexible working to all employees from 2013
- Extend the job guarantee scheme to the long-term unemployed aged over 50
- Lead a national awareness campaign on the importance of good people management skills among line managers
Legislation must help not hinder UK businesses on path to recovery, says CIPD
The CIPD responded to today's (Weds 18 Nov) Queen's speech, emphasising that new legislation should help not hinder the business recovery.
Specifically the CIPD said that any new regulation on banking remuneration should be careful not to scare business from the City and any efforts to reduce the budget deficit should be delayed to prevent tipping the economy back into recession.
Higher Education Minister invites CIPD to sit on UK Professional Forum
Yesterday (Thurs, 12 Nov) the Higher Education Minister, David Lammy called CIPD Chief Executive, Jackie Orme inviting the Institute to sit on the UK Professional Forum.
The Forum was one of the recommendations made in the 'Fair Access to the Professions' report, conducted by Alan Milburn MP. The CIPD gave both oral and written evidence to the Panel.
CIPD meets with DWP Secretary of State to discuss employment
This Thursday (5 Nov), John Philpott, CIPD Public Policy Director and Chief Economist met with Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. John met Cooper and her team to discuss the Government's forthcoming White Paper on work and employment.
CIPD also used the opportunity to outline their manfiesto calls extra help for the young unemployed and over 50s. John also said that the quality of work would be best achieved by improving the quality of management and organisation of work.
Sector Skills Councils Relicensing – Further Decisions Announced
Last week Government announced their decision to relicense another four Sector Skills Councils.
As part of the relicensing process, all 25 Sector Skills Councils have gone through a comprehensive assessment process led by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
The four successful SSCs are:
- Skills for Health
- SkillsActive
- Improve LTD
- Skills for Justice
The fifth SSC, Skills for Care and Development, which covers social care, children, early years and young people, is the subject of further work across Government, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the SSC.
So far a total of twelve SSCs have been successful in their application for a further trademark license to operate. Only one SSC has been de-licensed (Skillfast UK - the SSC for the fashion and textiles) and the role of the Financial Services SSC is to be reviewed. The results of the remaining ten SSCs are pending.
CIPD says High Court has missed a trick on default retirement ruling
The CIPD is disappointed at the High Court ruling that the default retirement age is legally justified. The CIPD has consistently called for the removal of the DRA for the pressing economic, social and business reasons.
CIPD Diversity Adviser, Dianah Worman says:
“The High Court has missed a trick to resolve this issue once and for all. The government itself has admitted that the days of the DRA are numbered. It seems counter-intuitive to drag this decision out even further while thousands of older people will be forced out of work in an already difficult jobs market.
“As the HR body we do not buy the HR argument that businesses can’t manage their workforce without the DRA. If you have poor performers in your organisation you should also have the performance management systems to deal with them. You wouldn’t wait 25 years to remove a poor performing 40 year-old.
“We will continue to push for the removal of the mandatory retirement age, both through the current Equality Bill and when the government conducts its own review next year.”
Earlier this year the CIPD backed an amendment to the Equality Bill which would see the default retirement age removed.
CIPD welcomes inquiry into puzzling discrepancy in unemployment figures
The DWP announcement of an inquiry into the discrepancy between the claimant count for jobseekers’ allowance (JSA) and the ILO measure of unemployment based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is “necessary and welcome” according to the CIPD.
The CIPD called for such an investigation after last month’s official unemployment figures showed the discrepancy persisting and says that it could be time to declare the claimant unemployment measure ‘out for the count’.
Since the inquiry CIPD Chief Economist John Philpott has been invited to take part in the inquiry with the first meeting having taken place on 19 August.
CIPD gives evidence on MP's expenses
Charles Cotton, CIPD Reward Adviser gave evidence today (8 July) to the Committee on Standards in Public Life on business ethics and codes of conduct, specifically with regards to expenses policy and second jobs. The evidence Charles gave will feed into the current inquiries into MPs expenses and the forthcoming code of conduct.
Time to trim the jobs quangos – if we can do it
Dr John Philpott, Public Policy Director and Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) calls for the byzantine system of quangos operating in the field of employment and skills policy to be streamlined but warns that this is easier said than done.
“It is far from clear how much value for money the existing jobs-related quangos provide to the taxpayer – a review of their size, efficiency and remit is long-overdue. There is a strong prima facie case for limiting the remits of quangos and streamlining their functions to reduce duplication and possible over-staffing. One possibility that we would strongly recommend is to streamline several of the existing bodies into a single Workplace Commission with the simple remit of spreading best practice on how to boost productivity across both the private and public sectors."
CIPD witness at Equality Bill Committee hearing
The CIPD was an expert witness at the Bill Committee scrutinsing the Equality Bill on 9 June.
CIPD Diversity Adviser, Dianah Worman OBE, was questioned on the HR profession's attitude to the proposals on gender pay reporting, positive action and the Default Retirment Age.
CIPD gives evidence to Cabinet Office Panel on Fair Access to the Professions
Today (29 April) the CIPD gives evidence to the Cabinet Office Panel on Fair Access to the Professions. CIPD was invited to respond to the inquiry which is examining the ease of access for disadvantaged groups to the traditional professions.
The CIPD was asked to respond both as a professional body and because of our expertise on good recruitment practices.