Asda and union Unite to overhaul agency staff status
Union Unite, has come to a “groundbreaking” agreement on a new initiative with supermarket giant Asda, which officials say will improve conditions for thousands of workers. Unite said that the aim of the new initiative was to stamp out discrimination across the supermarket’s 29 meat and poultry suppliers, which employ approximately 6,000 workers between them.
The union said today's move was aimed at ensuring that agency staff were paid the same rate as other workers, as well as ending their "semi permanent" employment status.
Unite's deputy general secretary, Jack Dromey said: "We warmly welcome Asda's pioneering initiative which sends a clear message that one of Britain's biggest supermarkets is determined to put ethical principles into practice.
"For years, supermarkets have driven down costs along their supply chain with tens of thousands of workers paying the price with discriminatory and unfair practices.
"It is wrong to exploit migrant agency workers on poorer conditions of employment and it is wrong to undercut directly employed workers on better conditions of employment. That divides workforces and damages social cohesion in local communities”.
Asda added: "We believe actions always speak louder than words - that's why when Unite raised concerns a year or so ago we were quick to act. We're committed to ensuring all the workers in our supply chain are treated fairly and ethically.
"Following our own investigation into working conditions in the meat sector, we agreed with Unite that agency workers who do the same work as permanent workers should receive equal pay, and that agency work should not be used as a means of preventing them from accessing the same rights as permanent workers”.

London businesses to benefit from free customer service training
Time is running out for hospitality, leisure, and tourism businesses in London to benefit from free customer service training for their staff through People 1st.
Businesses within the M25 are eligible to apply for the fully funded training courses, which have been running since January and are only available until the end of March.
The two courses – a level 2 award, aimed at frontline staff, and a level 3 award for line managers – have been developed on the back of in-depth research by People 1st and participants will gain a nationally recognised qualification on completion.
The qualifications highlight the importance of providing excellent customer service and focus on the impact of individual actions and how to identify and meet customers' needs.
The level 2 qualification is delivered in one day, while the level 3 qualification takes two days. Both awards can complement in-house training.
People 1st's sector compact manager, Chris Jefferies, commented: “People 1st's research has found that hospitality, leisure, and tourism businesses view customer service as one of the main skills shortage areas for their staff. These are the only approved customer service qualifications for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector, and they have been specifically developed for these industries.
“This is the last chance for London businesses to provide their employees with quality training in this area at no cost to them, so they should act now to ensure they benefit from this great opportunity”.
Employers who are interested in taking up this unique opportunity to develop the skills of their staff should contact People 1st.

Teachers turn to employers for diploma lesson planning
Teachers and lecturers are increasingly turning to the hospitality industry for help in lesson planning for the new Hospitality Diploma, according to a poll from People 1st. The new 14-19 Diplomas are one of the three main education choices for young people – alongside GCSEs/A levels and Apprenticeships.
Prompted by the need to develop a brand new curriculum with accompanying lesson plans and packs, over half (55%) of those surveyed claimed to have contacted local hospitality employers for support in helping prepare themselves for the new Diploma.
In fact, hospitality employers are proving to be a valuable source of resources.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of teachers and lecturers confirmed they had a good working relationship with their local employers. 66% said they were getting sufficient support from local employers, especially from hotels and restaurants, but welcomed more input from employers involved in events management (69%), pubs, bars and nightclubs (64%), and membership clubs (96%).
Teachers and lecturers particularly valued work experience for Diploma students as well as careers information, advice and guidance on different roles. Yet an overwhelming 80% of respondents said they required more mentoring while 50% sought more teacher support such as course materials and site tours.
Encouragingly, a number of teachers were pleasantly surprised that students were far more interested in the Hospitality Diploma than they had originally envisaged. 83% of practitioners said that their students enjoyed and were greatly benefiting from the Hospitality Diploma and looked forward to coming into class.
Hospitality employers too, give their unreserved backing for the new Hospitality Diploma.
All employers surveyed agree that the new qualification provides 14-19-year-olds with a good grounding in the hospitality industry, while 75% believe that it provides a great source for well-rounded, work-ready students from which their business can recruit.
Half of employers also said that they intended to offer more support to schools and colleges in their area including work shadowing, project support, days in industry or business, curriculum visits, careers information, advice and guidance on different roles, mentoring , teaching support, access to facilities on their premises and masterclasses.
Heather Taylor (pictured), Hospitality Diploma manager, said: “While our survey findings show that some teachers and lecturers may initially have been daunted by the prospect of putting together and delivering a brand new syllabus incorporating theory with applied learning, they have taken it in their stride.
“From the beginning, there has been great willingness and enthusiasm from leading professionals to share their industry expertise and offer practical support to schools and colleges. Slowly but surely, more colleges are taking advantage of this rich resource within their community”.
Sean Wheeler, director of people development at Malmaison and Hotel du Vin welcomes the Diploma: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our industry to showcase the diverse range of careers and genuine opportunities available in a sector that is continually growing, and to demonstrate how individuals can very quickly progress within their chosen career.
“Businesses have had a significant input into the development of the Diploma so that young people are given a real insight into the world of hospitality from the start and are equipped with practical experience and the required skills to ensure they are ready for work”.

Seven days of holiday becomes 15 days out of work for Brits
Independent online travel agent sunshine.co.uk has revealed research that says it takes Brits a week to prepare for a holiday and three days to recover.
The study of over 1,000 participants showed that the average seven-day holiday in fact stretched out to 15 days.
When asked “how long does it take you to prepare for a week abroad?” 52% of respondents said five working days, saying that “excitement becomes priority” and 38% of people said that the last two days at work before going abroad they “lose concentration”.
Meanwhile, 11% of people found the last week of work “stressful” and 2% said that it takes focus away from the much-needed break. On average, those asked said they spend at least an hour a day at work looking at images and reviews of their holiday destination on the week prior to the trip.
When asked “how long does it take to get back into ‘work mode fully’, after seven days abroad?” 61% said that for the first three days they ‘can’t focus and concentrate’ and that it was Thursday before they felt “fully committed” to the job.
Additionally, 23% of people said that they phoned in sick to work on the first day they are due back from their week away, claiming jet lag, delayed plane or upset stomach, while 6% said that they purposely booked an extra day’s annual leave to recover from the trip abroad.
On average, those surveyed said it takes a further two weeks to get all of their clothes washed and for life to “return to normal” after just seven days abroad.  
Chris Brown, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, commented: “People do say that you most need a holiday when you have returned from a week in the sun! I agree with the 6% that plan an extra day off after their holiday to recover, it is a good idea to give yourself some time to reflect on the holiday, and prepare yourself for the week ahead”.
He continued: “Preparing for the holiday is half the fun, it can take a week or more to get everything prepared for the week away, perhaps people should consider flying on a Monday, that way they have the weekend to fully prepare. An extra weekend should ease the stress as well and limit the pressure”.

Hospitality qualifications reformed
The biggest overhaul of hospitality and catering qualifications in over two decades is being carried out by People 1st to meet the industry’s need for a more simple, transparent and flexible system.
This follows a detailed consultation with employers and other stakeholders throughout the UK to review existing skills needs and identify emerging or specialist requirements.
The study found that employers and employees did not understand the relevance of the 400-plus industry-related qualifications across the UK.
Consequently, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism has streamlined its offering of vocational qualifications and removed duplicate qualifications. 30 new qualifications are also being developed - a new apprenticeship framework for hospitality and catering will be available in August.
The new suite of qualifications falls into three main categories:
Pre-entry/introductory qualifications for those at school, pre-employment qualifications for those at college and workforce development for those already in work who want to build on their skills
The new portfolio of qualifications is designed to fit into the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and allows students to build a flexible qualification by banking the required number of credits for course units.
Employers too should find it easier to measure the level of qualifications achieved by potential employees.