Infozone: the briefing – 02/07/10

EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR MIGRANT STAFF

Employers bringing migrant workers into the UK would have to provide private health insurance for them, under new Government proposals.

The Government has said it will bring net migration down to "tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands", and the private healthcare initiative is intended to avoid placing an undue burden on the NHS. Employers may also be required to set up apprenticeship schemes to prove they are working to upskill British workers.

The cap on migrant workers will come into effect in April 2011, but a temporary, smaller cap will take effect on 19 July, to prevent an early rush of applications. The government's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is to begin consulting with businesses to decide the level of the worker cap. Business leaders have voiced fears the cap will hinder recruitment.

CIPD CALLS FOR ‘TRAINING WAGE'

Employers should pay interns a "training wage" of at least £2.50 an hour to prevent exploitation, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

With CIPD research showing that more than a third (37%) of internships are currently unpaid, its new report, Internships: To Pay or Not To Pay?, proposes that all interns are paid a guaranteed minimum wage.

It argues that the new training wage would help reflect the contribution that an intern is likely to make to an organisation, as well as promote social mobility through encouraging people from poorer backgrounds to apply.

The proposed training wage of £2.50 an hour - which is the current minimum rate of pay for apprentices - would be introduced under the plans, to cover all interns and apprentices regardless of their occupation or industry sector.