All Pay strategy articles – Page 18
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OpinionLovewell’s logic: Counting the cost of the Budget
Debbie-Lovewell-Tuck, editor, Employee Benefits In the run up to the Labour government’s first Budget this week, there was much speculation about how this would impact employers. I think the industry breathed a collective sigh of relief when the tax relief on pensions salary sacrifice arrangements was not ...
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ArticleHow will the Autumn Budget 2024 impact pay and benefits?
Autumn Budget 2024: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered her Autumn Budget speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday 30 October. It included a number of key announcements that could impact employers’ pay and benefits strategies. Autumn Budget 2024: Employer national insurance contributions (NICs) ...
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ArticleReal-time reporting of benefits in kind to start in 2026
The government has confirmed plans to mandate the real-time reporting of most benefits in kind (BiKs) via payroll software starting in April 2026. Benefits in kind (BiKs), which include non-cash perks like company cars and private medical insurance provided by employers, have traditionally been reported yearly. The ...
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ArticleAutumn Budget 2024: Employment allowance to double and £100,000 threshold scrapped
Autumn Budget 2024: The government is to increase the employment allowance from £5,000 to £10,500 and remove the £100,000 threshold from April 2025. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced these measures in the Autumn Budget. The move will apply to all eligible employers, meaning 865,000 employers ...
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ArticleAutumn Budget 2024: Income tax thresholds to remain frozen until 2028
Credit: Fred Duval/Shutterstock Autumn Budget 2024: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has announced that income tax thresholds will remain frozen until 2028. Reeves, the UK’s first female Chancellor, announced in her Autumn Budget to the House of Commons that the government will not be increasing the ...
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ArticleAutumn Budget 2024: Employer national insurance contributions (NICs) to increase to 15%
Autumn Budget 2024: The government is to increase the rate of employer national insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.2 percentage points to 15% from 6 April 2025. This will mean employers will have to pay 15p in NIC for every £1 paid to an employee. In addition, the ...
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ArticleGender pay gap for full-time employees stands at 7%
The gender pay gap for full-time employees stands at 7%, down from 7.5% in 2023, according to the latest analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Its Annual survey of hours and earnings report found that among all employees, the gender pay gap decreased to 13.1% ...
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ArticleFord workers strike over pay and contract changes
More than 1,000 workers employed by vehicle manufacturer Ford have begun strike action due to a long running dispute over pay and contract changes. The employees, who are represented by trade union Unite, are administrative staff based in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood. They began industrial ...
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ArticleNational living wage to rise by 6.7% in April 2025
The government is to increase the national living wage by 6.7% from April 2025. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has announced the rate will rise from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour, which will be worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker. It is part ...
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ArticleFDM Group reports -2.5% mean gender pay gap for 2024
Source: T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com Global business and technology consultancy FDM Group has reported a -2.5% mean gender pay gap for 2024, compared to -7.6% the previous year. The employer’s median gender pay gap was -5.1%, versus -4.3% in 2023. Its mean bonus gap for 2024 was ...
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Poll: Do you think the real living wage increase to £12.60 an hour goes far enough to support employees?
Take part in our latest readers’ poll on a current topical issue. Last week, Employee Benefits reported that the Living Wage Foundation announced an increase in its real living wage rate to £12.60 across the UK, and £13.85 in London. The rise is a 60p, or 5%, increase for the ...
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ArticleEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland social workers and council staff accept pay rise
Social workers and other council staff across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have accepted a pay rise for the 2024-25 year, which will be backdated to April. The deal applies to staff working in councils covered by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, including the ...
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ArticleSapphire rewards contractors with employee ownership bonuses
Source: From Sapphire Manchester-based contracting and accounting firm Sapphire is to distribute employee ownership bonuses worth £350,000 to its umbrella contractors. The total will be awarded to contractors who have worked for the firm for more than a year, as part of its commitment to rewarding the ...
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ArticleReal living wage rate to increase to £12.60
Source: Shutterstock The Living Wage Foundation has announced an increase in its real living wage rate to £12.60 across the UK, and £13.85 in London. More than 15,000 employers across the UK are signed up to pay the new rates for almost half a million employees. The ...
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OpinionJames Townsend and Elizabeth Coyle: Dealing with equal pay tribunals
On 22 August 2024, an employment tribunal held that Next discriminated against more than 3,500 female store staff by paying them lower hourly wages than male warehouse operatives. Sales consultants received lower pay of up to £3 per hour, meaning their average annual salary differential was more ...
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ArticleNHS staff in Wales approve 5.5% pay deal
Source: Shutterstock NHS staff in Wales, who are members ot trade union Unite, have approved the government’s proposal of a 5.5% pay increase for 2024/25. According to Unite, the pay deal needs to signal the start of pay restoration and the proper valuing of NHS staff. Mark ...
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ArticleOffice worker wins case against boss who refused to say hello
An office worker who was repeatedly ignored by her boss when she greeted him has won a claim for unfair dismissal.
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ArticleDisability pay gap remains at 12.7%
The pay gap between disabled and non-disabled employees is 12.7%, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Its Disability pay gaps in the UK: 2014 to 2023 report found that the disability pay gap has remained relatively stable since 2014. The median hourly pay ...
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ArticleAnnual pay growth slows to 4.9%
The annual growth in employees’ average regular earnings, excluding bonuses, slowed to 4.9% in June to August 2024, according to the latest Labour market overview by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Annual growth was last lower than this at 4.7% in April to June 2022. The ...
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ArticlePullmaflex workers win pay rise following vote for strike action
Source: Shutterstock Employees at car seat manufacturer Pullmaflex have won a pay rise totalling 10.5% following a ballot in favour of strike action. Around 200 employees, who are members of Unite the union, voted to accept a two-year pay deal. Pullmaflex shop floor workers’ pay will increase ...