News – Page 24
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Charles Cotton: Should zero-hour contracts include a minimum benefits provision?
With a zero-hour contract, certain minimum employee benefits can already apply. For instance, some contracts are undoubtedly employment contracts and will attract the full protection of employment regulation, including holidays. But in other cases, those on zero-hour contracts will only be casual workers, who have some statutory protections but not ...
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Employee benefits tax recommendations may never be implemented
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) published an interim report last month as part of its review of the tax rules around employee benefits and expenses.The overall aim of the review, which was announced in January 2013, is to look at opportunities for simplification.The first stage of the review, which ...
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Government to name below-minimum-wage payers
Employers that fail to pay the national minimum wage (NMW) are to be publicly named and shamed from October 2013.The government’s announcement is part of its efforts to toughen up enforcement of the NMW and increase compliance.Under the original NMW naming scheme, employers had to meet one of seven criteria ...
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Former Co-op employees fight for bonuses
Former employees of the Co-operative Group have launched legal action against the employer over unpaid bonuses worth around £1 million.The 10 employees, who worked for Co-operative Insurance Society, the mutual’s insurance organisation, which was sold to Royal London in July 2013, have launched formal grievance proceedings against the Group.The move ...
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Consultation launched on longevity risk
The Bank of International Settlements has launched a consultation on the longevity risk transfer (LRT) market.The consultation, Longevity risk transfer markets: market structure, growth drivers and impediments and potential risks, said that longevity risk, the risk of paying out pensions and annuities for longer than anticipated, is significant when measured ...
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EU bonus cap will cause talent exodus
More than nine in 10 (93%) respondents expressed concern about losing talented staff to international opportunities as a result of the EU bankers’ bonus cap, according to research by Robert Half Financial Services.Its research, which surveyed 100 UK executives at financial services firms, found that 38% are ‘very concerned’ and ...
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Recommendations published on benefits tax rules
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has published an interim report as part of its review of the tax rules around employee benefits and expenses.The overall aim of the review, which was announced in January 2013, is to look at opportunities for simplification.The first stage of the review, which covers ...
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Gain tax and legal advice at Employee Benefits Live
In the auto-enrolment drop-in sessions, delegates can seek advice and support from legal experts and industry mentors, while salary sacrifice drop-in sessions will have tax specialists on hand to answer all delegates questions.Careers clinics, meanwhile, offer the opportunity for delegates to gain career advice and find out how to progress ...
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DWP publishes final proposals on pension disclosure rules
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published its final proposals around the disclosure of information for workplace and personal pension schemes.The occupational and personal pension schemes (disclosure of information) regulations 2013 report presents an analysis of the responses to the DWP’s consultation, which was open between February and ...
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Consultation published on variable pay for bankers
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched a consultation on the instruments that can be used by banks to satisfy the standards of its bankers’ bonus cap legislation.The EBA’s draft Regulatory Technical Standards, which includes the requirement for banks to pay 50% of variable remuneration in non-cash instruments, is expected ...
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Employers must take care on pay promises
In the High Court case of Attrill and others v Dresdner Kleinwort, employees succeeded in their argument that their employer was contractually obliged to pay bonuses from a guaranteed minimum bonus pool of €400 million (£343 million) it had promised to set up. The court ruled that the bank had ...
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Compliance round-up for July
It is to axe automatic annual pay rises in the civil service as part of a pledge to make £11.5 billion worth of public sector savings in 2015/16. The proposed legislation, announced in the Spending Review 2013 confirmed that public sector pay rises will be limited to an average of ...
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CJEU rules on collectively agreed pay rises
The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has ruled that collectively agreed pay rises should not survive Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Tupe) regulations.The decision in the case of Parkwood Leisure v Alemo-Herron brings an end to nearly three years of legal wranglings.The court ruled in favour of the employer ...
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Tax relief does not encourage pension saving
Pensions tax relief does little to encourage pension saving, particularly among low and medium earners, according to a report by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI).The report, Tax relief for pension saving in the UK, which has been sponsored by Age UK, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Partnership and the ...
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Most retirees will receive less than the single-tier pension
Only one in five (17%) UK workers closest to retirement will be entitled to a state pension worth exactly the single-tier amount, according to a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).Its report, A single-tier pension: what does it really mean?, found that 23% of those closest to retirement ...
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RTI drives rising compliance costs
The total cost of compliance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now stands at more than £18.2 billion, according to research by the Forum of Private Business.Its Referendum 204 report: the cost of compliance survey, which questioned 4,000 forum members, found that SMEs now pay 11% more to external providers ...
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Employee ownership guidance published
The government has published joint government and industry-led guidance aimed at helping organisations move towards employee ownership.The announcement, from business secretary Vince Cable, came on the first Employee Ownership Day on 4 July.Cable also confirmed that the government is to set aside £50 million each year from April 2014 to ...
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European Parliament votes down bonus cap for fund managers
The European Parliament has voted down the proposal to include a bonus cap of 100% of salary for fund managers.The prospective cap was intended to follow reward limitations placed on bankers by the Parliament earlier in 2013.However, Members of European Parliament (MEPs) decided against passing the measure in the Undertakings ...
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Seven-year sharesave schemes to be abolished
Seven-year savings periods under sharesave schemes are due to be abolished from 23 July.HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) has not made an official announcement of the change, but has informed sharesave providers that the current prospectuses will not apply from 23 July.Seven-year sharesave contracts will remain available under invitations sent ...
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Staff could make equal pay claims from different establishments
Employers could face equal pay claims from staff even if they are employed on different terms and conditions, and at different establishments from male comparators, following a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court.In the case of North and others v Dumfries and Galloway Council, the court ruled that the council ...