New figures released by The Pensions Regulator show that over 600,000 employers have complied with their duties to enrol staff into a workplace pension in the past year alone, since automatic enrolment was launched in 2012. However, the deadline is approaching for the remaining 150,000 employers, including new businesses set up since the government scheme was launched, to enrol their staff by June 2018. Guy Opperman, Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, said: “With one million employers – from the small sandwich shop owner to ... Continue reading

British employers are “living in the dark ages” and have worrying attitudes towards unlawful behaviour when it comes to recruiting women, new statistics from the Equality and Human Rights Commission reveal. Showing that many businesses’ attitudes are decades behind the law, the survey of 1,106 senior decision makers in business found around a third (36%) of private sector employers agree that it is reasonable to ask women about their plans to have children in the future during recruitment. The new statistics also reveal six in ten empl... Continue reading

ISO 45001, the long-awaited new international standard for occupational safety and health, is set to be published in March, it has been announced. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), which has been part of a committee of occupational health and safety experts developing the new standard, has said that the standard has gained approval, with an overwhelming 93% voting in favour of publication, and could now be published as early as 8 March. ISO 45001 is an International Standard that specifies requirements for an occupation... Continue reading

Millions of flexible workers will receive new rights under major government reforms as the UK becomes one of the first countries to address the challenges of the changing world of work in the modern economy. The government’s ‘Good Work plan’ comes in response to the independent Taylor Review, published last year, which investigated what impact modern working practices are having on the world of work. The review found that the strength of the UK’s labour market is built on flexibility, but that a clearer focus is needed on quality of wo... Continue reading

A new report published by the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA) highlights the challenges facing governments in the UK in developing environmental standards after Brexit. The report, Brexit and Environmental Law: Environmental Standard Setting after Brexit, recognises the considerable activity at EU level to develop the standards that apply under EU-derived environmental standards. Withdrawal from the EU, it says, raises the prospect of the UK ceasing to be involved in this activity, and having to decide whether and how to d... Continue reading