Usefully Employed

There’s something comforting and old-fashioned about the name.

The establishment of the Board, together with the introduction of a single telephone helpline to report sharp practice by employers, has been announced in this BERR press release.

A summary of the new measures is given:

1. Establishing a Fair Employment Enforcement Board to drive continued progress towards effective collaboration between enforcement bodies including HMRC, the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate (EAS), the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and the Health and Safety Executive.
2. A single telephone helpline to report abuses;
3. The launch of a sustained campaign to raise awareness of employment rights issues and to encourage reporting;
4. New legislation to empower joint agency working and information gathering;
5. A boost to the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate, including a doubling of the number of inspectors and an awareness-raising campaign.

These changes are in addition to the new NMW powers in the forthcoming Employment Bill.

I can’t help but applaud these changes - the variety of enforcement agencies can be confusing to professionals, let alone lay people. Now when will something similar exist for employers?