by Clair Mooney | 25 Jun, 2020 | Main News Feed
If you have to make redundancies, Jobcentre Plus can give you and your employees support and advice through its Rapid Response Service. Support could include:
- helping people facing redundancy to write CVs and find jobs
- providing general information about benefits
- helping people to find the right training and learn new skills
- helping with costs like travel to work expenses
Jobcentre Plus may also provide on-site support for large scale redundancies.
The Rapid Response Service provides local support and helps workers and employers by giving those facing redundancy access to the services of Jobcentre Plus and its partners before they lose their jobs. The support available through the Rapid Response Service is not just about Jobcentre Plus services – where appropriate other partners, such as the LSC, the devolved administrations, Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships will be involved to provide a package of support to those affected.
As the name suggests, early intervention is a priority objective, helping some workers into decent new jobs before they have lost their current ones. Through the RRS, Jobcentre Plus and its partners offer workers faced with redundancy a range of options to help them find alternative work. The service can be an important resource for union representatives in this situation.
There are two ways to access support;
Employer Help Website: To find out more about the help available visit the Employer Help site here
Employees via Jobhelp: Encourage staff to visit the Jobcentre Plus job help website. This provides a wide range of jobsearch help and advice, including information about working in critical sectors and the latest vacancies. It also includes information about benefit advice and how to claim, and redundancy support that Jobcentre Plus and partners can offer to employees facing redundancy or have been made redundant. Visit Job help here
Employees can also use the Jobcentre Plus ‘Find a job’ which is a free service (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). You can access the Jobcentre Find a Job website here.
In Scotland, redundancy support is provided through the Scottish Government’s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative. The PACE Redundancy Helpline 0800 917 8000 is operated by Skills Development Scotland or help is available at here.
In Wales, the service is delivered by the React Employers
Support and a specialist helpline is also available via the FIS Employment and Workforce Management Toolkit
by Iain McIlwee | 25 Jun, 2020 | CSCS, Main News Feed
Over recent years the CSCS card design has changed.
If you see a CSCS card that looks slightly different to what you expect, do not assume that it is fake. Instead, use one of these tools to check if the card is valid:
- The free Go Smart app: All CSCS cards are Smart, they contain a chip which allows the card to be scanned electronically. Employers can read the information stored on the card using a smartphone or tablet device with the free Go Smart app installed.
- The Go Smart online card checker.
- The CITB card checker (for cards issued before 9th December 2019 only).
- Access your CSCS Online account: If you already have an account, please login to view the status of your card.
There are three card designs in circulation:
CSCS cards issued before 9th December 2019
All cards issued before 9th December 2019 look like the image below.
CSCS cards issued between 9th December 2019 and end of May 2020
These cards have 2 key differences.
- The cardholder’s full name appears on the card, instead of just their initials and last name.
- The HS&E tested holofoil no longer appears on the card.
These changes are highlighted on the image below.
Cards issued since June 2020
A new card design was launched in June 2020. The new design has the following design differences:
- The smart chip embedded in the card is no longer visible
- There is a contactless symbol next to the cardholder’s photograph
by Iain McIlwee | 25 Jun, 2020 | Main News Feed
This scheme is for employers. You can claim back up to 2 weeks of SSP if:
- you have already paid your employee’s sick pay (use the SSP calculator to work out how much to pay)
- you’re claiming for an employee who’s eligible for sick pay due to coronavirus
- you have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020
- you had fewer than 250 employees on 28 February 2020 across all your PAYE payroll schemes
Employees do not have to give you a doctor’s fit note for you to make a claim. But you can ask them to give you either:
- an isolation note from NHS 111 – if they are self-isolating and cannot work because of coronavirus (COVID-19)
- the NHS or GP letter telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks because they’re at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus
The scheme covers all types of employment contracts, including:
- full-time employees
- part-time employees
- employees on agency contracts
- employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts
- fixed term contracts (until the date their contract ends)
It has been confirmed that you can now claim for employees who are self-isolating because they’ve been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus.
Find out how to make your claim here.
For detailed guidance from FIS on what to do if an employee reports sick or is required to self isolate click here
by Iain McIlwee | 25 Jun, 2020 | Main News Feed
- No Levy payments before September and then, up to 12 months to pay
- Next year’s Levy bills to be delayed and 50% cut proposed
- Skills Stability Plan protects apprenticeships, Grants Scheme and employer funding
- Consensus will not take place this year to allow focus on recovery
CITB has today announced its plan to help employers recover from the impact of Coronavirus, including a substantial reduction in Levy bills.
The Skills Stability Plan 2020-21 protects apprenticeships and provides direct funding to employers to adopt new ways of working needed in the wake of Covid-19.
Employers will continue to have a payment holiday on the Levy until September and then up to a full year to pay the 2020/21 levy. In addition, CITB will propose a 50% discount on the 2021/22 Levy rate. This means employers will pay 18 months’ Levy out of 24, making an overall saving of 25% across two years, providing help when it is most needed.
An employer with an average annual levy bill of £1,200 would normally pay £2,400 over 2020-22. Instead, they will pay nothing from April to August this year and then take advantage of spreading the costs – £100 per month up to February 2022, paying £1,800 overall.
These changes will see CITB’s forecast Levy income drop by £166m across two financial years. Despite this large drop in income, the Skills Stability Plan will protect apprenticeships, direct funding to employers and the Grants Scheme. CITB is also cutting costs and using its reserves to support employers’ skills needs.
CITB will work with other industry partners to support workers who have lost their jobs or seen their apprenticeship disrupted,matching them with a new employer, including through exploring a talent retention scheme. This will build on the support already provided to help appprentices complete their programmes through up-front grant payments to current year 2 and 3 apprentices, training materials being made available online and support from Apprenticeship Officers to allow learning to continue remotely.
The plan has also prioritised direct funding for employers through the Skills and Training Funds, with £8m earmarked for small and micro businesses, £3.5m for medium-sized businesses, with a £3m Leadership and Management Fund for large firms. This will help employers train to adapt to the new working environment and update the skills of their workforce.
CITB Chief Executive Sarah Beale said: “This represents a radical plan of action that balances the need for a reduction in the Levy at this time, alongside vital investment in the skills needed by employers now and in the future.
“It is the result of hundreds of conversations with employers across the length and breadth of Britain and I’m confident it meets the sector’s immediate needs. We are committed to making the Levy work hard to protect apprenticeships and support hard-pressed employers as they equip themselves for the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
CITB will now seek the views of industry employers and federations about the development of a new strategic plan, covering 2021-23, with the plan expected to be published in September.
Sarah Beale continued: “We have spoken to employers and federations and most have suggested that they want us to focus full-time on helping the industry meet the challenges posed by COVID. We have confirmed with the Department for Education that we will not run the usual Consensus process and instead we will speak to employers and industry groups to seek their views on our plans for next year.
“We will continue to be responsive and collaborative, working closely with the sector and Government to return the industry to growth. We will listen to industry and respond to its priorities and give every employer the confidence that we wish to understand and learn from their concerns and ambitions.”
Mark Reynolds, Mace Group Chief Executive and Skills Workstream Lead at the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), said: “Our industry has come together to develop an effective plan to come back from the effects of Covid-19, as detailed in the CLC’s Roadmap to Recovery document. CITB’s Skills Stability Plan builds on this work and clearly outlines how they will play their part in delivering the skills we need. We very much support efforts made by the CITB to substantially reduce the Levy. It is right that Consensus is delayed so we can work together to make sure that our recovery, still in its early stages, is as strong as possible.”
About CITB
CITB supports the skills needs of construction across England, Scotland and Wales. It attracts talent to the construction sector so employers have an adequate recruitment pool, and encourages employers of all sizes to access the skills and training necessary to grow their businesses.
Details of expected Levy bill process – what will be billed when for payment when
The 2019 Levy Assessment that was due to be sent to employers in April 2020 will now be sent to employers in August 2020. For employers opting to pay this bill by Direct Debits, the payments will run for up to 12 months from September 2020 to August 2021.
The 2020 Levy Assessment will be deferred for six months and sent to employers in August 2021.The rates proposed for this assessment will be half the value that would ordinarily have been applied – so if the agreed Levy rates remain at 0.35% for PAYE and 1.25% for Net paid sub-contractors then these will halved so only half of the assessment will be levied. Employers opting to pay by Direct Debits will pay this assessment in up to six monthly instalments between September 2021 and February 2022. The final rate
CITB Skills Stability Plan 2020-21
by Iain McIlwee | 24 Jun, 2020 | Main News Feed
The Scottish economy is now in its deepest recession in living memory, according to the latest Economic Commentary by the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde.
The Institute points out that whilst the depth of the collapse in GDP is largely artificial and entirely due to the lockdown, what matters is how quickly activity bounces back once the restrictions are lifted.
All signs are however, that there will be some scarring and it will take some time before the economy recovers to a ‘new normal’.
The outlook for the next few months looks hugely challenging. The unprecedented government support has provided an invaluable safety net –
■ Around £10 billion of funding support for the Scottish economy through additional resources for the Scottish Government and various business support schemes. Equivalent to over 5% of GDP.
■ Over 750,000 employees furloughed & self-employed workers supported via the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self-employment Income Support Schemes.
Considering the complexity of restart, supply chain disconnects, lower demand and dwindled corporate cash reserves the expectation is that there will be a spike in closures and job losses in the next few weeks and months as firms look ahead to the rolling back of government support later in the year.
The Commentary considers a range of scenarios from a more optimistic scenario where confidence builds momentum, through to a more pessimistic scenario which includes a second wave of infection.
In the optimistic scenario, the economy is projected to take until the end of 2021, at the earliest, to fully recover lost output. In the pessimistic scenario, it could be 2024 before a ‘new normal’ is reached.
The Institute also points out that even when the economy returns to growth, the underlying structure of Scotland’s business base will be altered forever.
You can read the full report here
by Iain McIlwee | 23 Jun, 2020 | Main News Feed
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today announced that (in England) the two-metre social distancing rule will be replaced with “one-metre plus” guidance from the 4th July. In another step towards “normality”, the “one-metre plus” approach will mean that people can be one metre away from each other as long as other measures are put in place to limit the transmission of the virus, such as “wearing face coverings, installing screens and facing away from other people”. Mr Johnson reiterated in his speech to the house that people should still say two metres apart from others where possible.
In his speech Mr Johnson advised the House that Government have now ordered over 2.2 billion items of protective equipment from UK based manufacturers, many of whose production lines have been called into being to serve this new demand. He also announced that new guidance will be published on how businesses can reduce the risk by taking certain steps to protect workers and customers. “These include, for instance, avoiding face-to-face seating by changing office layouts, reducing the number of people in enclosed spaces, improving ventilation, using protective screens and face coverings, closing non-essential social spaces, providing hand sanitiser and changing shift patterns so that staff work in set teams. And of course, we already mandate face coverings on public transport. Whilst the experts cannot give a precise assessment of how much the risk is reduced, they judge these mitigations would make “1 metre plus” broadly equivalent to the risk at 2 metres if those mitigations are fully implemented.”
The Prime Minister reflected on the importance of this announcement to the hospitality sector and plans to re-open large sections on the 4th July stating – “I know this rule effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy, even without other restrictions. For example, it prevents all but a fraction of our hospitality industry from operating.” He has committed to publishing findings of the expert review in the Commons Library this week.
Responding to the announcement FIS CEO Iain McIlwee said: “This measure is less targeted at construction and more at the fact that From July 4, the hospitality sector will start to re-open. That said, we now need to review our own guidance – with only 12% of our members able to operate profitably under the existing Site Operating Procedures, this announcement could have a huge impact on productivity and be a vital lifeline. I think it is important to echo what the Prime Minister said in his speech – where it is possible to keep 2 metres apart people should. The sector has reacted well to adapting processes to enable maintaining safe working distances, and not withstanding productivity, we also know that behaviours are one of our biggest challenges. We need to continue re-enforcing the importance of safe working distances – evidence tells us that the risk will increase the closer we get and we need to continue to do all we can to protect our people and prevent any transmission of the virus”.
In the speech the Prime Minister also reminded that the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hold responsibility for their own lockdown restrictions and they will respond to the united view of the Chief Medical Officers at their own pace, based on their own judgement.
Responding to the statement the Construction Leadership Council commented:
“The Government is reviewing its ‘Safer Working’ guidance in light of this. Consequently, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) will review its own guidance (including the Site & Branch Operating Procedures) and update it to reflect the new requirements.”
You can read the full speech here.
Details of current H&S Guidance including PPE from FIS is available in our H&S COVID Toolkit Here including detailed guidance on PPE and our Task Assessment Tool.
