Dear Reader, Welcome to the January edition of Intellect HR Update. In addition to the newsletter, Intellect members have full access to our free IntellectHR service, providing you with web-based HR guidance including a full range of practical step-by-step guides, letters, forms, contracts, an employee handbook, and customisable policies. For a reminder of your login details contact Carrie Hartnell. T: 020 7331 2007 E: carrie.hartnell@intellectuk.org W: www.intellecthr.org Employment law update IntellectHR helpline Our helpline is operated between 08:00 - 18.00 Monday to Friday by experienced, CIPD-qualified advisors who are available to answer any HR-related query. More Increases in rates From 01 January 2008: Following the recent general increases in the price of fuel, HMRC has again reviewed their advisory fuel rates. These apply where the employer reimburses employees for business travel in their company cars, or requires employees to repay the cost of fuel used for private travel. From 01 February 2008: The maximum award for unfair dismissal increases to £63,000 (from £60,600) and the cap on weekly pay for redundancy and the basic award increases to £330 (from £310). The maximum basic award and statutory redundancy payment will be £9,900. From 06 April 2008: Still subject to parliamentary approval, the rate of SSP will increase to £75.40 and SMP, SAP and SPP will increase to £117.18. More Forthcoming changes - the Employment Simplification Bill This Bill has now been published and received its first reading in the House of Lords. The main points concern changes to: - Dispute resolution, ACAS and tribunals - National Minimum Wage - Employment Agencies - Trade Unions More Foreign workers - points system set out for highly skilled migrants The government's new points based system for highly skilled foreign workers applying to work in the UK will be phased in over the next year. There will be five tiers: - tier 1: highest-skilled migrants with good English - can enter without a job offer - tier 2: medium-skilled migrants with good English - must have a job offer - tier 3: low-skilled migrants - cannot enter the UK unless there are specific skills shortages - tier 4: students - tier 5: temporary workers More Agency workers - an update Attempts to reach European agreement on the proposed Agency Workers Directive, which would give temporary workers full employment rights after just six weeks, failed again last month. In the meantime, the government proposes to introduce a package of measures to assist those agency workers most likely to be mistreated. The changes will be introduced through amendments to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, which will come into force on 01 April 2008. More Working Time - the status quo prevails The issue of the UK's opt-out from the Working Time Directive was discussed at the same time as the talks on agency workers. The debate on both was postponed once more and will not be back on the agenda until next year. As a result, for now at least, the opt-out, in its current form, is to stay. Some interesting tribunal cases - Redundancy and mobility clauses - How to calculate a day's pay? - Equal pay and shift payments - TUPE may extend to transfers abroad More New on the website A few templates and guides a non-executive director's services agreement - this is available to premium subscribers only. More Further details of our new premium service, which enables you to store past copies of our policies and quickly compare and update these, are available on our website. More And finally... New Year turnover? The New Year is often the time that people decide to change their jobs. Apparently a fifth (21 per cent) of UK office workers are unhappy in their current job, and more than half (51 per cent) are actively seeking a new job. When looking at moving jobs, 77 per cent of workers find a higher salary the biggest attraction, followed by better benefits (46 per cent), better prospects (42 per cent) and flexible working (41 per cent). More Talk to us! As always we look forward to hearing from you and advising you on your HR issues and concerns. If you have any feedback on this newsletter, our website or our service to you generally, please contact us. Topics this month: Employment law update IntellectHR helpline Increases in rates Forthcoming changes - the Employment Simplification Bill Foreign workers - points system set out for highly skilled migrants Agency workers - an update Working Time - the status quo prevails Some interesting tribunal cases New on the website A few templates and guides And finally... New Year turnover? Talk to us! This is a general information bulletin sent by Intellect. You will be receiving this email either because your company is a member and has supplied your details to us or you have subscribed yourself. Contact us: carrie.hartnell@intellectuk.org Information Technology Telecommunications & Electronics Association. A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England. Registration No: 1200318. Registered Office: Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, London WC1B 5EE. Intellect Intellect is the UK trade association for the IT, telecoms and electronics industries. 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