It is often the case that a business user of software finds that it is tied into a support and maintenance contract, perhaps renewing annually with fees rising year on year. The frustration is that the support and maintenance contract could be put out to tender and the price most likely be reduced if the [...]

Posted: February 21st, 2008 under Competition Law & Regulatory.
Comments: none

A Law Commission report has called for dozens of obsolete laws on the statute books to be repealed. The Commission has drafted a bill which would repeal 206 acts and 68 parts of acts including those relating to archaic concepts such as workhouses, poor relief, bawdyhouses and transportation to the colonies.
About time many of you [...]

Posted: February 20th, 2008 under Miscellaneous.
Comments: none

New rules to prevent illegal working take effect on 29 February 2008.  The main changes include:

civil penalties of up to £10,000 for each illegal migrant worker employed;
a new criminal offence of knowingly employing illegal migrant workers, carrying a maximum two year prison sentence and/or an unlimited fine; and
a continuing obligation on employers of migrant workers [...]

Posted: February 19th, 2008 under Employment/HR.
Comments: none

Yesterday the Court of Appeal handed down judgment on the controversial issue of when a worker supplied via an agency can be an employee of the client company/end-user.  The answer seems to be ‘rarely’.  The Court held that the test was whether it was necessary to imply a contract of employment between the worker and [...]

Posted: February 6th, 2008 under Employment/HR.
Comments: none

The Government has today announced that the following increases will take effect from 6 April 2008:

Statutory Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Pay - from £112.75 to £117.18
Statutory Sick Pay - from £72.55 to £75.40

Posted: February 1st, 2008 under Employment/HR.
Comments: none