Business and Other Briefings

BERR: The Government has agreed a deal between unions and employers that it claims will see agency workers in the UK receive equal treatment after 12 weeks employment. The Government believes this deal can pave the way to reaching agreement in Europe on an agency workers directive that secures this flexibility for the UK.
 
The Declaration includes the following points:
(a) After 12 weeks in a given job there will be an entitlement to equal treatment.
(b) Equal treatment will be defined to mean at least the basic working and employment conditions that would apply to the workers concerned if they had been recruited directly by that undertaking to occupy the same job.  It will not cover occupational social security schemes.
(c) The Government will consult the social partners regarding the implementation of the Directive more generally
(d) The new arrangements will be reviewed at an appropriate point in the light of experience.
Press release ~ BERR – employment agency standards ~ Directgov – Agency workers ~ Business Link – Agency workers H&S ~ Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill 2007-08 ~ EU agency workers Directive
 
Revenue & Customs Brief 27/08
This Brief gives details of an article: VAT - Interpretation of Article 13 of the Principal VAT Directive – “bodies governed by public law” and “special legal regime”.
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story