https://www.gov.uk/government/news/broken-fit-note-system-to-be-overhauled The government press release states, Patients, employers and GPs are set to benefit from an overhaul of the broken fit note system following the launch of several pilots by the Government today to reform the system for workers who fall ill. The current system sees some 11 million fit notes issued every year, with…
Employment
How to balance fairness and effectiveness in Unemployment Insurance
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publications/how-to-balance-fairness-and-effectiveness-in-unemployment-insurance/ The aim of recognising previous labour market contributions in benefit eligibility and payment levels, in order to enhance the political legitimacy of the benefits system, is understandable. And we agree that the role of contributory benefits in partially replacing lost income when someone becomes unemployed can help some people return to sustainable jobs more…
Government agrees to end ‘rigid focus’ on weekly 35-hour job search rules after Committee report
The Government has signalled it will end the ‘rigid focus’ on the 35-hour a week job search requirements for out of work benefit claimants after a Work and Pensions Committee report called on it to scrap blanket benefit requirements. In its response to the Committee’s Get Britain Working: Reforming Jobcentres report published today, the DWP…
No need for a moral panic about the welfare system
https://www.ft.com/content/ee67c643-01bc-41f6-a4e2-c738deef129e Britain is in the grip of a moral panic over welfare benefits. The preferred adjective for the costs of social security benefits to those not yet at pension age is “spiralling”, and it is used as much by Labour ministers as by the opposition. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has expressed horror at 6.5mn working-age…
The Minimum Wage
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-changes-are-we-making-to-the-minimum-wage We’re also taking the first steps towards making rates the same for everyone, regardless of age, by narrowing the gap between the National Minimum Wage, for 18–20-year-olds, and the National Living Wage.
ACAS
https://www.acas.org.uk/advice For employees and employers in England, Scotland and Wales. Find advice on employment law, HR processes and good practice at work. You can also contact the Acas helpline.