News

EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS - There has been a sharp rise in cases going to employment tribunals particularly in disputes centred on working time and age discrimination. Employment tribunals concluded 14,000 claims from October to December 2020 a 24% increa...

UBER RULLING - Uber has agreed to give its UK drivers a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions, following the Supreme Court ruling that its drivers are workers last month. It will pay drivers in the UK at least the national...

AUSTRALIA - With the Coronavirus Supplement to Australia’s JobSeeker scheme set to terminate at the end of March, the federal government has announced a paltry $50 per fortnight increase to the unemployment welfare payment. In reality this “incr...

OECD - Public unemployment spending is defined as expenditure on cash benefits for people to compensate for unemployment. The UK is therefore one of the lowest spenders on unemployment as a percentage of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).   This...

ABC Press Release - Following an appearance by Colchester MP Will Quince, Minister for Welfare Delivery at the Department for Work and Pensions along with Neil Couling, Senior Responsible Owner at the Department for Work and Pensions. Simon Collyer t...

US STIMULUS BILL - With House Passage, Congress Clears the Nearly $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan. Congress has given final approval on Wednesday to President Biden’s sweeping, nearly $1.9 trillion stimulus package, against Republican opposition. This ma...

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee and the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee hold a rare joint evidence session examining the Government’s disappointing response to both committees’ recent reports on Universal Credit Watch...

LOW-COST LOANS - Which have pointed out government loans for vulnerable consumers In a section of the red book subtitled ‘supporting the most affected’, the government revealed a new pilot scheme to give no-interest loans to people who need mone...

STATE PENSIONS - State pension payments to rise by 2.5% Changes to the pension’s lifetime allowance made the Chancellor’s speech, but the Budget documents also confirm that the state pension will increase by 2.5% from next tax year, starting 6 A...

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel warns against falling back into old patterns: “It’s mainly women, again, who are mastering the balancing act between homeschooling, childcare and their own jobs,” she mused in her...