11 July 2007

hr & legal

Minimum holiday entitlement will be increased from 4 to 4.8 weeks on 1 October 2007 (i.e. to 21 days in 2007 for full time workers and 24 days in 2008 where the worker’s holiday year begins 1 January) and from 4.8 to 5.6 weeks on 1 April 2009. This is a delay of six months from the original plan (i.e. to 27 days in 2009 and 28 days in 2010). Bank and public holidays count towards the total.

Increasing Employment Registration Legislation Coming into Force in the Second Half of 2007

Find out which employment legislation will be affecting your business from 1 July 2007.

health & safety

Certificate in Risk Assessment Principles and Practice CIEH Level 2

A two-day course to be held at St James’s House on Wednesday 29 & Thursday 30 August 2007.

Working at Height

A half-day practical short course to be held at St James’s House on Thursday 30 August 2007.

Control of Contractors

A half-day practical short course to be held at St James’s House on Thursday 6 September 2007.

environmental

EFRA Committee publishes its review of the Draft Climate Change Bill

House of Commons Environment Committee has called on the government to review the Draft Climate Change Bill target to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60% by 2050.

European Council Reaches Agreement on EQS Directive

The European Council reached political agreement on a draft directive establishing environmental quality standards (EQS) in the field of water policy on Thursday 28 June.

Agency loses waste oil ruling

The Court of Appeal recently overturned the Environment Agency’s policy that waste lubricating oils recovered for use as fuel should be defined as “waste”.

information & research

Management & Professional Engineers’ Pay Survey 2007

The deadline for the survey is Monday 16 July 2007. If you have not yet completed and returned your questionnaire, please return it for the attention of Andrew Richards to the address above or fax to 0121 454 6745. With thanks in anticipation.

Manual, Clerical & Technical Pay Survey June 2007

This latest survey gives a breakdown of pay for Manual, Clerical & Technical workers in the West Midlands region and by company size.

Sickness Absence and Rehabilitation Survey 2007

This is the fourth national survey of EEF member organisations looking at sickness absence and rehabilitation. 625 organisations, with a total of 127,585 employees, responded to the survey.

Only participants in the survey will receive a hard copy in the post.

policy & representation

Weekly Policy Briefing - 6 July

EEF's weekly developments in policy & representation

training

EEF Technology Centre courses, August - September 2007

Portable Appliance Testing

A one-day course to be held at EEF West Midlands Technology Centre on 15 August 2007.

Introduction to PLC

A two-day course to be held at EEF West Midlands Technology Centre on 20 – 24 August 2007.

Safe Use of Power Presses for Press Setters

A one-day course to be held at EEF West Midlands Technology Centre on 22 & 23 August 2007