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04/01/2008
EEF briefs MPs prior to Second Reading of the Pensions Bill
The Pensions Bill is due to get its Second Reading in the House of Commons. We have prepared a briefing on this which sets out our detailed comments on the Pensions Bill and identifies some specific issues that we consider still need to be addressed by the government.
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07/12/2007
Pensions Bill 2007 published
On 5 December 2007, the government published the Pensions Bill 2007 which provides details about its personal accounts scheme as well as some deregulatory measures affecting occupational pension schemes. We explain what the Bill contains.
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16/08/2007
Pensions Act 2007 - what changes are proposed?
The Pensions Act 2007, which is the first stage of the government's package of reforms to the
UK
's pensions system, has recently received Royal Assent. We look at the changes proposed.
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15/06/2007
Government Response to Consultation on Personal Accounts White Paper
On 14 June 2007, the Government published its response to the consultation exercise on its White Paper, “Personal Accounts –
A New Way to Save”. In this response, the Government set out further details on the way that it will be implementing its new personal accounts scheme from 2012.
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23/03/2007
EEF’s response to the government’s personal accounts White Paper
EEF has expressed broad support for most of the proposals in the government’s personal accounts White Paper, Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save. We consider that the government has responded positively to the views that were expressed in our response to the previous pensions reform White Paper Security in Retirement – Towards a New Pensions Settlement.
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15/01/2007
New low-cost pensions saving scheme announced
On 12 December 2006, the government published a White Paper, “Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save”, setting out its detailed proposals for a new low-cost pensions saving scheme to be introduced in 2012. This article summarises those proposals, many of which are in line with EEF’s response to the government’s pensions reform White Paper.
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04/01/2007
Union Modernisation Fund – Round Two
The DTI has recently announced the timetable for the submission of applications and the decision-making process for Round Two of the Union Modernisation Fund (UMF).
A new priority theme for applications to the UMF has been set by the DTI of capacity building to support training and development for equality representatives.
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30/11/2006
Pensions Bill Published
On 29 November 2006, the Government published its Pensions Bill which is the first legislative step in implementing the Government’s comprehensive and inter-related package of reforms to the
UK ’s pensions system.
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16/11/2006
Pensions Reform Bill Announced in Queen's Speech
In the Queen’s Speech on 15 November 2006, it was announced that the Government will be introducing a Pensions Reform Bill in this session of Parliament. This Bill will mainly cover reforms to state pension arrangements including a gradual rise in the state pension age.
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30/10/2006
Progress Report on Proposed Merger of Amicus and the T&GWU
The proposed merger between Amicus and the T&GWU has taken a further step forward following the recent ratification of merger documents by the Executive Committee of Amicus.
It now seems likely that a final decision on whether or not this merger goes ahead will take place in early 2007 following a ballot of both Amicus and T&GWU members.
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14/09/2006
EEF Evidence to the Low Pay Commission
EEF has today submitted its evidence to the Low Pay Commission for the Commission’s next Report on the National Minimum Wage. A copy of EEF’s evidence is attached .
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22/08/2006
TUC 2005 Report on Trade Union Recognition
The recently published TUC 2005 report on trade union recognition shows that there has been a sharp decline in the number of both voluntary and statutory union recognition agreements that were reached by trade unions in 2005.
The TUC’s analysis of 45 of the 49 voluntary agreements that were reached in 2005 shows that only 13 of these agreements (29%) included occupational pensions as an item for negotiation. This would seem to support EEF’s view that there is not widespread negotiation or bargaining taking place on occupational pensions and reinforces our view that the government should not add occupational pensions to the statutory union collective bargaining agenda.
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27/07/2006
DWP Pensions Reform Website
The DWP has launched an online Pensions Forum about the recommendations in the Government’s White Paper on pensions reform.
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23/07/2006
DTI consults on increasing holiday entitlement
The majority of EEF members choose to offer their employees 25 days' paid annual leave, together with the eight recognised bank or public holidays, making 33 days in total.
For some employees, however, their entitlement is to no more than the statutory minimum of 20 days (for full-time employees) including bank and public holidays.
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24/04/2006
Occupational Pension Schemes Disclosure of Information Regulations 2006
In a written statement, Stephen Timms MP, the DWP Minister for Pensions Reform, has outlined the Government’s response to the recent consultation on the draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2006 and stated that the Government will not now require non-money purchase occupational pension schemes to provide automatic annual benefit statements to deferred members and pension credit members.
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10/04/2006
Election for General Secretary of GMB
It has recently been announced that the election for the General Secretary of the GMB will take place next month under new election rules that will enable Paul Kenny, the GMB’s Temporary General Secretary, to stand.
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07/04/2006
Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Consultation by Employers and Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations 2006 and Information and Consultation of Employees Amendment Regulations 2006
The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Consultation by Employers and Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2006 have recently been approved by both Houses of Parliament and will come into force on
6 April 2006
.
These Regulations have been introduced under provisions in the Pensions Act 2004 and they will require employers to consult active and prospective members of an occupational or a personal pension scheme to which the employer contributes or their representatives before making a number of specified major changes to their pension scheme.
It is important to note that, if active and prospective members of an occupational or a personal pension scheme have been notified of any of these specified major changes before 6 April 2006, there is no legal requirement for employers to consult members under these Regulations even if the changes come into effect after 6 April 2006. However and irrespective of their legal obligation to consult under these Regulations, employers may still have a legal requirement to consult employees before making changes to their occupational or personal pension scheme as was explained in CL249LEG on “Changing or withdrawing final salary pension scheme benefits” that was issued on 8 November 2002.
These Regulations have been drawn up so that they can operate alongside the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 which have therefore being slightly amended through the Information and Consultation of Employees (Amendment) Regulations 2006.
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07/04/2006
DTI Promotion Campaign on Information and Consultation
The DTI has this week launched a new promotion campaign that is aimed at employers about information and consultation. This campaign involves a new DTI leaflet, which EEF has endorsed, and a new DTI website which provides a direct link to EEF’s own website.
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23/02/2006
First Meeting of CEEMET EMF Permanent Working Group
The first meeting of the CEEMET/EMF Permanent Working Group took place in
Brussels
on 31 January 2006.
A copy of the document setting out the objectives, mandate and structure of this Permanent Working Group that were agreed at this meeting is attached together with a list of those who attended.
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23/02/2006
First Meeting of CEEMET EMF Permanent Working Group
The first meeting of the CEEMET/EMF Permanent Working Group took place in
Brussels
on 31 January 2006.
A copy of the document setting out the objectives, mandate and structure of this Permanent Working Group that were agreed at this meeting is attached together with a list of those who attended.
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23/01/2006
New Chairman of the Low Pay Commission
The Government has recently announced that the new Chair of the Low Pay Commission will be Paul Myners, the Chairman of the Guardian Media Group, in succession to Lord Turner of
Ecchinswell
who will be standing down in March 2006.
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04/01/2006
Porposed Method of Calculating the Pension Protection Fund Levy
Some detailed information on the proposed method of calculating the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) Levy for 2006/7 that was set out in the consultation document that was issued by the PPF Board on 16 December 2005.
It also includes as an Appendix a couple of examples on how it is being proposed the PPF levy for 2006/7 will be calculated.
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09/12/2005
Pensions Commissions Report
This provides further information about the package of proposals that was set out in the Pensions Commission’s Report.
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30/11/2005
Pensions Commission Report Published
The Pensions Commission has today published its detailed Report setting out a comprehensive package of proposals for reforming the UK’s pension system. Its proposals closely resemble the recommendations in EEF’s recently published report ”Rethinking Pensions – Preparing for an Ageing Society”
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18/11/2005
Working Time Regulations Definition of Autonomous Workers
We have recently been asked by the CBI for information about employers’ views on the definition of “autonomous workers” in the Working Time Regulations 1998 and, in particular, the use that is being made by employers of this definition to exempt some of their employees from the requirement not to work more than 48-hours per week averaged over a reference period of 17 weeks.
This contains a number of questions on this issue on which it would be helpful if Associations could obtain the views of member companies and then respond to David Yeandle at Broadway House by Friday 2 December 2005.
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30/09/2005
Working Party on Implications for TUC of Union Mergers
At the TUC Congress in Brighton earlier this month, it was agreed that a working party would be set up to consider the implications for the TUC of the continuing number of union mergers and, in particular, the proposed forthcoming merger between Amicus, the GMB and the T&GWU.
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22/09/2005
Working Time Directie - Bank Holidays
The Government has recently announced that, as stated in the Labour Party’s Election Manifesto, it will shortly be legislating to ensure that Bank Holidays are additional to the 4 weeks statutory annual leave entitlement under the Working Time Regulations.
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20/09/2005
New TUC President
Gloria Mills, the Director of Equal Opportunities of Unison, was elected the new President of the TUC at the conclusion of last week’s TUC Congress in Brighton.
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20/09/2005
Supervisory Board of the Union Modernisation Fund
The Government has recently announced the names of the members of the Supervisory Board that will be responsible for assessing bids to the Union Modernisation Fund and which will be chaired by Sir Bill Connor, the former General Secretary of USDAW.
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07/09/2005
Timetable for New Pension Scheme-Specific Funding Regulations
The Government has recently announced that the new scheme-specific funding requirements arising out of provisions in the Pensions Act 2004 will come into force on 31 October 2005 rather than, as had been previously anticipated, 23 September 2005.
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07/09/2005
DTI Report on Managing Chane - Practical Ways to Reduce Long Hours and Reform Working Practices
The DTI has recently published a report entitled “Managing Change – Practical Ways to Reduce Long Hours and Reform Working Practices” that describes a number of practical case studies of organisations that have introduced new ways of working that involve addressing long hours working. This report is the output from the DTI’s Long Hours Working Partnership Project that was undertaken in association with the CBI and the TUC and run on behalf of the DTI by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
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05/07/2005
Pension Protection Fund - Levy for 2006/7
In advance of the publication of the consultation document by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) of the way in which the scheme-related and risk-related element of the PPF levy for 2006/7 will be determined, Broadway House staff has obtained some information on the Board of the PPF’s current thinking on this subject.
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28/06/2005
ACAS Advice on Employing Older Workers
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) has recently published a new advisory leaflet entitled “Employing Older Workers” to help employers make the most of their older workers.
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28/06/2005
Pension Protection Fund’s Statement of Investment Principles
The Board of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has recently published its Statement of Investment Principles setting out the Board’s principles and policies governing the investment of the first year’s levy to the PPF. It has also announced the appointment of the PPF’s fund managers and custodian. .
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28/06/2005
Member Nominated Trustees
Stephen Timms, the Pensions Minister, has recently indicated that the Government wants to increase the percentage of trustees of occupational pension schemes who are member-nominated trustees from 1/3rd to ½ of all trustees by 2009.
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