A national recruitment agency, its directors and senior staff have been ordered to pay more than £280,000 for plotting to illegally opt workers out of their pension scheme. The prosecution of Derby-based Workchain Ltd and its staff has led to the largest fine and first custodial sentences for a case brought by The Pensions Regulator (TPR). Workchain owners and directors Phil Tong and Adam Hinkley encouraged five senior staff at the company to get the workers out of the scheme so the company could avoid making pension payments on their behalf... Continue reading

International Workplace has been shortlisted as a finalist at the Learning Awards 2019 in the ‘Learning Technologies Award’ category – its second major accolade in two months. The nomination showcases International Workplace’s ‘Accredited Content Connector’ (ACC) – a brand new development for the accredited course market that allows learning materials to be securely accessed from a third party learning management system (LMS), while the content and tracking remain under the control of International Workplace as a licenced content... Continue reading

A new workplace right to paid leave for bereaved parents has been officially enshrined in law  (13 September) as the Parental Leave and Pay Bill achieves Royal Assent. The first law of its kind in the UK will support those affected by the tragedy of childhood mortality and is expected to come into force in 2020. The new Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act will give all employed parents a day-one right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employed parents will al... Continue reading

Pirelli Tyres Ltd has been fined after two employees had their arms broken by the same machine. Carlisle Magistrates Court heard how, on 29 November 2013, an employee of Pirelli Tyres Ltd was loading the stripline machine when his left arm was pulled in by a roller. On 31 August 2015 a second employee had his left arm pulled in by the same roller whilst trying to make an adjustment during a production run. Both incidents occurred at Pirelli’s tyre factory at Dalston Road, Carlisle. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ... Continue reading

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has begun formal enforcement action against 34 organisations that have failed to pay the new data protection fee. The data protection regulator has sent notices of its intent to fine the organisations unless they pay. Those who don’t could face a maximum fine of £4,350. All organisations that process personal data must pay a fee to the ICO unless they are exempt. The money is used to fund the ICO’s data protection work and new and expanded services such as its advice line, more online resourc... Continue reading