Workplaceupdate

Tupe – At the time of going to press there was still no word of the consultation document on revision of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Tupe), expected to be available by the summer. This will limit the time available for comment and preparation for the introduction of the rules.

PPP and PFI – Partnerships UK Ltd was launched on 13 June. The policy arm of the private finance initiative (PFI) taskforce is now within the Office of Government Commerce. PUK will act as a development partner to the public sector to provide faster, stronger public-private partnerships (PPPs) using private sector disciplines. Chief executive James Stewart confirmed that PUK will only put equity into a project if the public sector client and private sector provider wish it to.

Local government PFI – A consultation document has been issued on proposed PFI rules for local government projects. These build on the standard terms the Treasury taskforce issued last July and are tailored to issues arising from the specific circumstances of councils.

Local government pensions – A guidance document on the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment etc) Regulations 1999 was issued in June by the Local Government Pensions Committee. This gives advice on setting up an admission agreement, including the text of a template agreement, and guidance prepared by the Association of Consulting Actuaries. Copies from Terry Edwards, secretary, LGPC, tel 020 7296 6600.

Best value – The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has published a consultation paper on reforms to part II of the Local Government Act 1988. Section 17 of the act stops councils asking bidders ‘non-commercial’ questions, such as on workforce issues, training, and terms and conditions. All sides agree this prohibition should be overhauled. The consultation document is available at www.local-regions.detr.gov.uk/bestvalue/

Disciplinary and grievance procedures – A new code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, issued by the Arbitration, Conciliation and Advisory Service (Acas), will come into effect on 4 September. The code is designed to complement the new statutory right to be accompanied, introduced under the Employment Rights Act 1999. The code is available at www.dti.gov.uk/er/rtba.htm.

Trade union recognition – The new rules on trade union recognition for companies with more than 20 staff came into effect on 6 June, implementing provisions in the Employment Rights Act 1999. These will fall under a statutory procedure operated by the Central Arbitration Committee. A code of practice is available at www.dti.gov.uk/er/recognition.htm.

Standard conditions – One of the final publications of the Treasury Taskforce was a set of standard conditions for IT projects. These are available through the Butterworths publication Standardisation of PFI Contracts. Contact Butterworths, tel 020 7400 2500.

Human rights – The European Commission is proposing a charter of human rights that would reinforce the European model of welfare and employment. It could enshrine the right to strike and other economic and social rights. The government has expressed concern at the move.