EMPLOYMENT AFFAIRS BY GRAY RIGGE, G & E SERVICES (UK) LTD
The NASC is a member of the Construction Industry Joint Council Employers Group. The review of national minimum wages and conditions under the CIJC Working Rule Agreement, which was postponed from last year, took place this year and the changes were effective from 28th June 2021. Full details of the new national minimum rates and other matters agreed are set out in the Promulgation which is available for Members on the NASC website. Following the above review an updated edition of the CIJC Working Rule Agreement is in production and is planned to be available at the end of summer. The update will include changes arising from legislation, matters agreed since the last edition in August 2018 and the settlement detail from June this year. As with previous new editions, the NASC will provide a courtesy hard copy to Members and display an electronic copy in the Members’ Area of the website. Additional copies of both versions will be available to purchase direct from Construction Industry Publications Ltd. The CIJC Employers Group has been exploring ways to improve access to and communication with their construction employers. As a step forward, in July this year the Employers Group launched their own website, view www.cijcemployers.co.uk for the latest news and updates. The number of employees on furlough continues to fall, however the latest statistics, still show over 150,000 people in the construction sector on furlough. With the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) ending this month (September) it may be that some employers will be considering redundancy.
Returning to Coronavirus and the degree of support being given by employers to the vaccine rollout, ACAS sponsored a survey of 2,000 business. The findings indicate that employers concerned about protecting their employees and minimising disruption to critical business services through employees away with Covid-19 or self-isolating, encourage employees to get vaccinated. Although not legally required, more than 50% of respondents gave paid time in the working day to go to be vaccinated. In the event of side effects of a vaccination preventing attendance at work time lost was also paid. The guidance that workers should work from home where they can has been removed, however the legacy is likely to significantly change the world of work for some occupations. A report is awaited from a government task force looking at Flexible Working. Surveys indicate that 74% of employers take the view that hybrid working, at some level of split time, is here to stay. As employers have had to help employees set up and become proficient at working remotely the feedback is that the ‘digital transformation’ has jumped forward. These changes and outcomes achieved have been made as a response to an emergency. For the future where working remotely follows a planned decision then certain areas are likely to need further examination, as examples, the remote working environment, security and data protection, health & safety risk assessment, opportunities for training and promotion and any effect on pay and benefit structures. Apart from employers requiring some time to be worked from home, surveys suggest that there is expected to be an increase in employees requesting some level of flexible working.
If such a situation arises it is important that a proper selection for redundancy procedure is considered and followed. Just being on furlough may, in many instances, be insufficient to be a fair selection for redundancy. The Government is proposing to bring forward new legislation following responses to the completed consultation on harassment in the workplace. The intention is to ‘motivate employers to make improvements to workplace practices and culture.’ Employers already have legal obligations under the Equality Act. These new proposals are an extension and include a statutory code of practice on how to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace and introducing a ‘preventative duty’ to ‘take all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment at work. This duty will include harassment originating from third parties such as suppliers and customers.
MR Scaffolding Services Ltd
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