The hopefully quieter summer period can be a great time to plan and catch up on the things you meant to do but couldn't get around to when things were in full swing. You might want to use this period to influence employment changes that will affect you and others.

The Labour Relations Agency has revised its Code of Practice on Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities. This includes guidance on time off for Union Learning Representatives (URLs):
http://www.lra.org.uk/

The Agency is inviting you to comment on the draft Code which is available on the Agency’s website. Consultation ends on 6 August.

Recognising changes at work in recent years, much of the revisions concern the use of technology in the workplace by union representatives. But it also looks at the growth of non-union reps and atypical working. Going on evidence from GB, the introduction of URLs to help employees identify learning needs seems to have been successful. A Conservative Minister has recently praised a TUC learning initiative 'unionlearn' - the TUC's learning and skills arm - describing it as an 'immense success':
http://www.tuc.org.uk/skills/tuc-18195-f0.cfm

In revising the current Code in Northern Ireland the Labour Relations Agency considered the following issues:

* the provision of cover when employees take time off to undertake their functions as representatives
* the adjustment of workloads for representatives to take account of their time off
* the position of line managers of workplace representatives, and advice to them in managing absences
* the value of training and retraining workplace representatives to reflect the needs of modern workplaces and the changing legal framework
* workplace access to e-learning materials by representatives
* the position of representatives who have atypical work patterns or who service other employees with atypical work patterns
* the use of ICT equipment and the internet by representatives; and
* the confidentiality of communications involving representatives whilst ensuring necessary workplace security
* the growth in non-union employee representation
* updates to statutory source references which have changed since the current Code was implemented in 2004.

When the Code is implemented it will replace the current Agency Code of Practice – Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities published in May 2004.

Also Out for Consultation:

Skills Strategy
The Department for Employment and Learning is consulting on a draft revised Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland - Success through Skills 2. The Strategy looks at our current skills base, examines the skills we will need in the future to grow the Northern Ireland economy and highlights areas for action.

This document once published will be viewed as the overarching strategy for skills development in Northern Ireland over the next decade. The Department would therefore welcome the views of stakeholders, interested parties and individuals on a number of consultation questions. Closing date 17 September:
http://bit.ly/aFFvhP

Annuities
The Treasury announced last week the start of a consultation on removing the requirement for pension fund holders to buy an annuity by the age of 75. This followed an announcement in the June Budget that these rules will end from April next year. Consultation ends 10 September 2010.
http://bit.ly/bnjfcI

Migrant Workers
The Government has announced a consultation exercise on introducing a limit on the number of migrants from outside Europe coming to work in the United Kingdom. The Migration Advisory Committee consultation will run until 7 September 2010:
http://bit.ly/a5tMcf

Regulatory Caps and Cuts
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called on the public to suggest which regulations should be cut to make it simpler to run a business.
http://bit.ly/bA81ju

If you work in the public sector you can make suggestions on where the October cuts should fall:
http://bit.ly/ce01E7

NHS On-call Payments
The current protection of on-call payment arrangements ends on 31 March 2011. The NHS Staff Council is now consulting on draft principles to support new local arrangements, following its review of on-call.
http://bit.ly/cRION7