People with disabilities, chronic diseases or recovering from injury should be able to stay in the workplace or reintegrate into the job market, with the help of tailored measures, according to Employment and Social Affairs Committee MEPs. The MEPs have unanimously adopted a set of measures they believe the European Commission and member states should work on in order to retain and reintegrate workers into the workplace who suffer from various chronic conditions or injuries and foster active ageing. MEPs stress that reintegrating workers into... Continue reading

Big firms will have to justify their chief executives’ salaries and reveal the gap to their average UK worker, under new laws laid in Parliament on 11 June. It means that for the first time, UK listed companies with more than 250 UK employees will have to disclose and explain this difference – known as ‘pay ratios’ – every year. This follows concerns that some chief executives have been receiving salaries that are out-of-step with company performance. These new regulations are part of a package of reforms which will hold big busine... Continue reading

The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) is calling on the government to introduce new standards for employers, to consider psychological hazards in workplace safety assessments. In its recent report, Stress: are we coping? the mental health charity states that government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must ensure that employers treat physical and psychological hazards in the workplace equally and help employers recognise and address psychological hazards in the workplace under existing legislation. The call comes after an MHF survey fou... Continue reading

Workers posted temporarily to another EU country must get equal pay for equal work in the same place, under revised rules voted by Parliament. The revised rules, approved by 456 votes to 147, with 49 abstentions, aim to ensure better protection for posted workers and fair competition for companies. Ensuring fair pay Under the agreed text, all of the host country’s remuneration rules must apply to posted workers. In addition to legal provisions, member states may apply large, representative regional or sectoral collective agreements. So f... Continue reading

ACAS has published new guidance on religion and belief to help ensure businesses are following the law when it comes to managing staff that have a particular religion, belief or those that don't hold any beliefs. The guidance offers employers essential advice on how to comply with the Equalities Act, which protects employees against discrimination based on religion and belief. ACAS Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Julie Dennis, said:  "Discriminating against someone due to their religion or belief is against the law. Employers need to en... Continue reading