New IFA and BAJR rates

[vulpes]

So - lets get this straight dr wardle. You are in favour of the improvements in pay and conditions, just not in the procedural detail?

[BAJR Host]

Ye not fear nothing Peter.. you can up your rates as much or as little a you wish.. as long as the minimums are over the BAKR/IFA minimums. (you have stil to see the new grading system)

I think the confusion may rise from the pay increase (I want a min of 5%) and the legal rights to holiday, SSP and the pension...

you should already be providing holidays etc...

So in real terms... it may look like a massive 25% increase.. I think the Sickness is quite misleading... ie.. you don't get it as well as your pay.. even if you are not sick.. (thats what I see anyway)

quote:What is a stakeholder pension

They are intended to provide a low running cost method of saving for retirement that is paid for directly from the participating employees wages. The scheme was launched on 6th April 2001 and employers had six months from then to make a stakeholder scheme available to their employees, however, they are under no obligation whatsoever to join the scheme. Contributions are taken directly from the participants wages, the exact amount is decided by the employee but the minimum is £20 a month. The employer does not have to make any contribution but may choose to do so. Stakeholder pensions are not government supported and they have the same 'value may go up or down' risk as any pension or investment.

Stakeholder pension providers

The employer is not the provider of the pension, they merely make one available and collect the money. The providers are the insurance/pension companies that run the special stakeholder pension. They have to satisfy specific conditions regarding, among other things, the costs they charge and the level of premiums they will accept. Each provider has to be authorised by the governing body before it can be nominated as a Stakeholder Pension provider. Most, if not all, of the normal high street insurance companies are registered as providers along with many others, so there is quite a choice available.

Exempted businesses

There are only a few reasons that would exempt an employer from setting up a scheme:

You have less than 5 employees. It does not matter whether they qualify or not.
You already have an existing occupational or personal pension scheme. There are a fair number of conditions on this exemption.
It is your choice whether or not you make the scheme available to new employees of less than 3 months or to anyone earning less than the current NI lower earnings limit, you can get the current rates by clicking 'NI rates' in Related pages.

Setting up a scheme

A scheme must be in place if you are not exempt even if no employees are interested in joining. If you lose your exemption status you must immediately set up a scheme, (it may be a good idea to setup a scheme in preparation for when you have to).

Get details from a many providers as possible and discuss with your employees. Allow enough time for your employees to make their minds up and make alternative suggestions. If you have decided to make a contribution (you don't have to) then inform your employees of how much.
From a short list invite prospective providers to make a presentation to your employees and leave details for discussion.
After selecting your provider invite them to set up stakeholder pensions for your employees who expressed that they would be interested. Get all the information about making the payments to the provider of the contributions you have collected on their behalf. Ensure that your current payroll system can cope with it (call us if it can't cope).
On the agreed start date process the stakeholder pension through the payroll. Sit back and think what a great job you have done.
£50,000 fine for not complying

When a business is found not to be complying with the stakeholder requirements they will be encouraged to change their ways, however, OPRA, the regulating authority, does have the power to impose very heavy fines of up to £50,000 if it so wishes.

The government are acutely aware that they are unable to fulfil the pensions promise and that alternative arrangements must be made. As the voluntary take up of personal pension plans and other provisions for retirement is slowing down they have come up with this alternative. It is here to stay and, by one way or another, they will enforce compliance.

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[drpeterwardle]

Vulpes said.

"So - lets get this straight dr wardle. You are in favour of the improvements in pay and conditions, just not in the procedural detail?

Yes - but I would suggest that it is not a proceduural detail but a fundamental.

Peter

[drpeterwardle]

Lets clarify a few things.

This is a bold step by the IFA and I hope the many people who have been calling on them to do something should be appaulding and joining them.

The holiday pay is for more than the stat min as it is for 20 days plus bank holiday. That is 7 days more than at present they are legally entitled to.

The sick pay - if you dont pay it has to be compensated with a cash payment of the equvalent of a month salary.

The stake holder pension scheme is irrelevant what the IFA is saying is that the employer must pay 6% of the salary towards the pension. From Davids quote "The employer does not have to make any contribution but may choose to do so."

I would suggest that we should stick to discussing what this all means over the legal minimums.

I calculate the rise to be:
sick pay 8%
pension 6%
cost of living 3%
extra holiday 3%
Total 20%

The comes on top of the legal requirement to pay temp staff holiday earlier this year.

Peter

[BAJR Host]

I hope it means that you get your 1.6 days per month Plus only the bank holidays that fall in the time you are working (otherwise you are getting paid for days off you would never have got off in the first place)

The sickness is something like 70.84 per week as SSP but a top up to full pay... (only if you are actually sick... (after the first is it 2 days or 3 days?) with sick note)

Pension is law now for people with more than 5 employees.. so no arguement there.

A clarification would be good. Thats how I interpret it ... ( sensible way I hope)

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[drpeterwardle]

Having spent a Saturday morning trying to work out what new IFA complusory "recommendations" mean in the context of employment law and my staff's contracts. My head hurts.

What is needed is clear detailed precise statements which are compatible with UK employment and contract law. I hope the new SCAUM employment manual has taken account of these changes.

Also a point that appears to have been forgotten. In order to implement the changes for existing staff their agreement is neccessary.

Peter Wardle

[historic building]

From the limited amount I know about employment law the new IFA recommendations go way beyond the legal minimums. Frankly we should all be congratulating them for actually pushing decent employment practices in this profession.

Now the next issue is employment security.

[stripeykelly]

I also applaud the IFA for trying to push for decent pay and conditions in our job, and here's hoping that they are actually implimented across the board. However, that they are 'compulsary "recommendations"', as Dr Wardle points out (a contradiction in terms if I ever heard one), how will they ever be truely implimented? As Hosty acknowledges, it is either a legal or moral choice, at the moment moral, and we know how moral human beings are!! These should not be 'recommendations', but should be compulsary.

When is the IFA going to try and push to be a legally recognised professional body? Once it has this level of clout, then these employment practices can be fully implimented.

the future's bright; the future's trowel shaped

[trowelhead]

The IfA can only become truley effective once it becomes an impartial and independant body free from influence by any "practising commercial archaeological body or persons therein".

To become legaly regcognised and viewed with respect by all archaeologists from digger to director the IFA needs to offer a charter by way of a fixed and proper career structure.

By definition if you have a commercial interest in any company you cannot be seen to play an impartial role within any organisation that is seen to influence pay and conditions.

The IFA needs to be staffed by an totally independant body not affliated to any one particular group be that University, Union or Commercial Company.

Well thats the way I see it anyhow and I aint joining until I feel the money is being well spent because at the moment its all just chat, chat and more chat, bit of moaning.. a meeting, a conference..oh letters after my name... bit more chat..blah blah...same thing year in year out:face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic::face-topic:



Close enough for a country job!

[1man1desk]

Trowelhead,

The IFA is a professional association - by definition, therefore, it is made up of professional archaeologists, and draws its funding from their subscriptions - how can it be independent of them? A Charter would not change this.

However, neither the IFA nor its staff are 'affliated to any one particular group be that University, Union or Commercial Company'. It is more the other way round - organisations can sign up to be regulated by the IFA under the RAO scheme. Being an RAO does not give an organisation a vote; voting rights are restricted to individual corporate members (PIFA, AIFA, MIFA).

In relation to your 'chat-chat-chat, bit of moaning, conference, etc etc' comments, you can get plenty of that on BAJR or anywhere else without joining IFA. However, we have already rehearsed the many positive actions and initiatives taken by the IFA on this forum. If they aren't the specific ones you want, well, they represent the consensus of the membership, not an individual's wish-list. You have a choice - you can stay outside and moan ineffectually, or you can join and seek to influence IFA decision-making.


1man1desk

to let, fully furnished