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There could be an end to paid union time at work. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has initiated a consultation into how much paid time staff should be allowed to carry out union business at their desks. Mr Maude said: “In the civil service alone tens of millions of pounds are spent on trade union facility time and across the public sector that figure is much higher.” He concluded: “It isn’t right that taxpayers are funding full-time union representatives.” WinTA Start is an embryo clocking and HR system from Tensor for Time and Attendance, comprising a T32xx Smart Card clocking station and 25 Smart Cards. It can manage time and attendance recording for up to 50 people. User-definable working rules, rosters and shifts include a summary of clocking details which can be viewed at-a-glance. Human resources staff or supervisors can define multiple paid or unpaid breaks and ask WinTA Start to insert breaks if an employee forgets to clock them.  

An estimated quarter of a million pounds’ worth of damage has been caused by a beach fire. Crews were called to a car park in East Lothian, in the early hours of Saturday morning (July 14). When they arrived a wooden one-storey toilet block was already alight. Fire crews remained in attendance at the rural Scottish site for nine hours before declaring the area safe. The block, which had almost been completed, is part of a £500,000 refurbishment of beach facilities. Access control, clocking and security products from Tensor are unbeatable at health and safety provision. This is because they can be integrated with fire roll call software that will automatically produce a report if a fire or other emergency occurs at the workplace. Your members of staff simply log themselves on and off site within a quarter-second using their ultra-fast proximity read smart cards or key fobs. An evacuation list is then printed at a safe pre-determined remote point.  

Partly to lead by example when the body is cost-cutting, BBC director general (DG) Mark Thompson’s salary has been reduced. He earned £622,000 in the past financial year, which is down from £779,000. Mr Thompson earned 15 times more than the median pay of a BBC employee. He is stepping down in September, when the new DG will be George Entwistle. His salary will be significantly lower: £450,000 in his first year. Total BBC executive pay has also been halved. The Tensor Personnel.NET system is the result of a decade of real world experience in the human resources and time and attendance sectors. Our personnel software offers everything your company would expect from a personnel management system and many more features that will save time and aid strategic planning. Fully customisable reports can also be generated by the Tensor personnel software allowing it to seamlessly blend in with your own corporate identity. The Pay Reviewer function includes reports on projected pay increases.  

A second man has been arrested after a theft at a museum was foiled. The thieves originally broke into Norwich Castle back in February, and one man was caught soon after the event. Now police have revealed a 21-year-old from Newham, east London, has been detained and released on bail until September. The men were thought to have left the scene in a dark hatchback car parked outside the castle being driven by a fifth person. Tensor has many devices and systems designed to secure all manner of premises, whether museums, offices or large sites. The key role of a Tensor barrier is to prevent unauthorised access whilst providing minimum inconvenience to those who do have authorisation. Suitable for both large and small premises, car park barriers are highly adaptable, can work in any weather, and are able to immediately recognise authorised personnel. For more information on car park barriers, turnstiles, and bollards, we would be happy to send you a datasheet.  

  More Olympic security fears have been raised this week when it emerged 3,500 extra servicemen would be needed to help police the summer event, which begins in a couple of weeks. The Government said it was revealed only on Wednesday that contractor G4S did not have enough trained security staff. Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond said he had authorised the deployment of the 3,500 extra people, bringing the total number of military personnel contributing to Games security to 17,000. From the control of a single internal door through to a fully PC-powered, multi-site network of building security control points, a Tensor Access System is the solution. You can control most standard types of internal and external electronic and magnetic door releases and devices. When a person attempts to pass through an access point, the T32xx access control unit compares an individual’s security profile with that of the access point. Security profiles are based upon the day, time of day, and the security threat level of the attempted access.  http://www.tensor.co.uk/access-control

A bus strike due to start tomorrow (Thursday) in a dispute over Olympic bonuses has been postponed while union officials look at a new offer. Management have offered a bonus of £583 to drivers working on 24 of the 29 days that this summer’s Games take place, or £700 for drivers in busy garages. The conciliation service Acas confirmed the strike has been put on hold after a third day of talks. Acas chief conciliator Peter Harwood said: “Acas talks are continuing.” Bonuses and other staff payments are done with a sprint rather than a marathon thanks to easy-to-use Tensor Time and Attendance payroll technology. Tensor WinTA systems handle all major hours calculation methods, absence planning and entitlement management. WinTA allows you to create a series of shift premium rules that enable employees to earn bonus payments under special circumstances. The bonus is calculated either as extra hours or monetary amounts and can be included in the export to payroll.  

People dodging a public toilet charge have been blamed for a £17,000 loss at a district council. Council staff across the administrative area had spotted members of the public sneaking a friend into WCs to save paying twice over for services, a cabinet revenue report at Cotswold District Council noted. The calculations made by the authority suggested around 85,000 people used the public loos without paying between April 2011 to March 2012. Revenue raising secure and sturdy coin entry toilet turnstiles are available from Tensor. They can be installed in many different configurations according to what the customer desires. Tensor’s turnstiles offer improved security and extend flow capacity. They can be put in prestige access points and need no routine maintenance. Another option is that coupled with a set of smart cards, flow capacity is significantly increased compared with any swipe card system, as the card is read in under ¼ second and does not have to be removed from a wallet or purse.

There will be 5,800 fewer front-line officers across the 43 forces in England and Wales by 2015 if planned funding cuts go ahead, said the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). The body has investigated the impact of the cuts on police services. Ministers stated that the “vast majority” of forces were “rising to the challenge of reducing budgets while protecting services”. The HMIC also predicted that further cuts could be needed because of a shortfall in police spending plans. Digital CCTV camera and recording systems can be added to a Tensor access control set-up if your business is concerned about reduced police numbers in your area. Digital CCTV is not only affordable by big companies, but available to the open market. Completely upgradable, your security network can be expanded easily by simply installing additional cameras. In addition, you are not restricted to the type of camera you wish to install as the CCTV software is able to support all cameras within our product range.  

Revenue workers will take industrial action across the UK, saying job cuts are “undermining” efforts to investigate tax avoidance schemes such as the one used by comedian Jimmy Carr. The Public and Commercial Services union warned that the walkout will close offices and leave telephone calls unanswered. TV presenter Carr said he “made a terrible error of judgement”. On his Twitter account he stated he was no longer involved in the K2 tax shelter. His actions sparked a political storm and provoked the wrath of PM David Cameron. The Tensor T32xx smart card time and attendance workstations are the best of their kind at user friendly attendance recording for employees. The IP enabled T32xx range incorporates Job Booking, Job Costing and Labour Hours Analysis. The multilingual GUI (Graphical User Interface) makes using the T32xx effortless for staff, who can easily clock in, check their overtime or request absence from the office. There is even a rugged outdoor version that can handle the harshest of conditions.  

A fugitive is thought to have escaped from within prison this week using a makeshift rope, according to BBC reports. In a major security breach John Massey was not spotted in time when making his bid. The news service remarked it is highly unusual for inmates to escape from within the confines of a closed prison such as Pentonville. Police are urging anyone who spots Massey, who is serving a life sentence, to call 999. A version of Tensor’s successful Visitor Management System is currently being used to improve security in prisons. Pass is an easy to install, computer based pass system for registering each visitor, both on and off site. It allows HM Prison Service Officers to quickly check the identity and monitor the movements of visitors. Tensor Prison Pass also enables the pre-booking of legal representatives, contractors and inmate visitors with maximum speed and minimum fuss. Biometrics can be combined with the visitor badges to operate the system.  

The European Court of Justice, whose ruling is legally binding throughout the European Union, has decreed that workers who fall sick during their annual leave are entitled to take corresponding paid leave at a later date. The recent ruling by the EU's top court was prompted by a Spanish trade union case against a group of department stores. “The right to paid annual leave cannot be interpreted restrictively,” the court said. Tensor’s personnel, time and attendance and clocking software ensures your business or organisation does not fall foul of European law. Our state of the art computer controlled systems incorporate EU Working Time Directive legislation regarding working rules. Sick leave, annual leave and all other absence issues are also covered by our clever WinTA networks which govern different shift patterns and pay bands. As the British and European leader in clocking systems, Tensor are consistently providing new features in our software whenever the legislation changes, thus ensuring compliance with the EU Working Time Directive.  

Four stores within a shopping hub remain closed a week after a large fire hit the premises. When the fire of Saturday, June 16 was at its peak, 26 businesses were forced to shut in the Suffolk precinct. Alex Wilson, community director at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “I think we're talking weeks before the building is made safe and secure.” One shop alone estimates it has lost £10,000 of stock due to smoke damage. The T3510 Low Cost 4 Scanner Controller is one of many access control products for commercial premises from Tensor that features fire roll call and fire alarm technology. Incorporating .NET PC Based software, the ‘two-doors, scan entry and exit’ is a typical two door access control application using a Smart Card reader to gain entry and exit. This set-up has the advantage of recording who entered and who left the building, essential for accurate Fire Roll Call. Break glasses unlock the door, from the inside, in an emergency.