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Threats of a strike on the prime European rail network have been called off after a pay deal was sorted out for cleaners. The maintenance workers on the Eurostar service ceased their pay dispute after accepting a settlement which they say will see staff earning a minimum rate of £8 an hour. The new pay deal comes into effect in the autumn. The agreement agreed with cleaners’ employer OCS is worth 8 per cent on basic pay. If your firm has problems identifying or anticipating when employees are absent from work, Tensor’s time and attendance systems include a facility for absenteeism and lateness reporting. Accurate information about absenteeism and lateness is provided for businesses through warning email notifications, SMS messaging direct to a supervisor’s mobile or via hardcopy reports. The system quickly identifies missing employees that are expected to be at work and then informs you via automatic email reporting. Data on manning levels is another feature of Tensor’s advanced WinTAnet system.  

Security & Policing is the UK's only secure event for police, law enforcement and security professionals tasked with security, civil protection and national resilience. With a 30-year history and a global influence, this UK Government event has grown to become a corner-stone of the security calendar. The exhibition brings together international professionals and experts from government, law enforcement, police services, CNI and industry in a crucible of shared knowledge and experience. The Security & Policing 2012 show is an invitation only event and Tensor plc were delighted to be invited to exhibit at the show for a third year running. Tensor’s demonstrations included a high security turnstile; HD CCTV integrated with Access Control; Tensor’s full .NET suite of Security & Time Management products; Tensor’s new PharosTM ballistics grade, wireless and self powering CCTV system; and a live test of Tensor’s ruggedized range of smart card readers being soaked continuously in a stream of water for the entire three day event. Ashley Smith, Tensor Chief Executive, commented: “This year was the most successful year to date for Tensor at the Security & Policing show (formally HOSDB). The calibre of visitors was extremely high and provided Tensor with an opportunity to discreetly discuss in-depth security requirements with key decision makers, from the UK and many other countries. Tensor experienced the highest number of visitors to our stand in our three year history of exhibiting at this event.” In addition, Tensor were honoured to be short-listed as a finalist for the ADS Security & Innovation award which was presented at Security & Policing 2012 Dinner in Guildford Cathedral as part of the event. Bob Rose, Director of Security for ADS, said: “Congratulations must be extended to Tensor on receiving the award of 'Highly Commended' in this year’s Security Innovation Awards. The standard of entries was very high as ever, which is a testament to the continued advanced research and development of the UK Security Industry and partnership with UK customers. The Security Innovation Awards organised in conjunction with the Home Office provide a rare opportunity to recognise the achievement of the UK Security Industry and once again we congratulate Tensor on this achievement.”  

An item of rare industrial heritage was allegedly stolen in the latest incident of metal theft from a business park in Dorset. The large piece was part of a Victorian railway steam engine’s boiler which is being restored by Aaron Tiefel who works for a nearby engineering firm. He said: “It’s a real blow that the piece has been stolen because it was a unique piece of Victorian British heritage that can now never be restored to its former glory.” Tensor can help an office or site suffering from theft with our secure Access Control products. Our access controllers can be networked to form a powerful computer controlled security infrastructure. The T3510 Low Cost Four Scanner Controller can be configured in many different arrangements, controlling a smaller number of doors at first and then more at a later date as need and/or budget permits. The T3510 is ideal for one to four door access control; linked together it can control up to 128 doors from one PC.  

As part of its previously announced strategic review Lloyds Banking Group said it will lose nearly 1,000 jobs. In a statement released on Tuesday, it said: “During 2009, 2010 and 2011, slightly less than 50% of the role reductions made as part of integration have led to people leaving the group through redundancy. All affected employees have been briefed by their line manager today.” Lloyds said recognised unions Accord, LTU, GMB and Unite were consulted prior to the announcement. Business clocking experts Tensor have designed wireless enabled Time and Attendance systems that save time and increase efficiency at the workplace. Timely information is increasingly important within business. The new range of T32xx clocks actively communicate with the computer system when a person clocks, books them ‘on’ to a job or uses their card to open a door. Real time communications provides you with the information as it occurs. Employees can clock ‘in’ or ‘out’ for time & attendance and ‘on’ or ‘off’ production jobs.  

Police are urging people who recognise the men involved in an attack beside a shop to come forward. The pair attacked a passer-by after he went to the aid of a security guard. The young man suffered a broken jaw in the assault in Edinburgh. He had helped the guard, who he had seen remonstrating with the men outside the store. Police have released CCTV images of the duo in a bid to swiftly catch them. A Tensor digital CCTV system can be applied as ‘standalone’, or it can be combined with any previously installed Tensor access control or visitor monitoring equipment at a shop or premises. The CCTV footage generated by your camera network is recorded on a dedicated digital video recorder, which can be located either onsite or offsite. Triggered by motion detectors or movement on a CCTV camera, the DVR only records footage of activity so no ‘dead time’ is unnecessarily stored. Evidence quality digital CCTV is now affordable by any size of business.  

The Coalition Government is struggling to fend off a tax avoidance scandal. Key personnel at the Student Loans Company (SLC) are being paid via a company without tax being deducted, it has been revealed. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, one of the most senior Liberal Democrats in the cabinet, was said to be unaware of the arrangement. However, Mr Alexander is required to sign off SLC’s top civil servants in common with all higher public sector salaries. WinTA from Tensor is cutting edge software that is ideal for a company which has workers on different shifts, overtime rates or pay bands. You can define multiple paid or unpaid breaks and ask WinTA to insert breaks if an employee does not clock them. You can set breaks to activate between set times. WinTA will select the most appropriate shift depending on when an employee starts work. So if you move an employee’s shift, WinTA Start will automatically assign the correct shift to the employee.  

The main window of a jewellery shop was smashed in a robbery. One elderly woman had collapsed during the incident and needed medical attention from a paramedic on a bicycle who was one of the first to arrive at the scene. The gang targeted a branch of Francis Wain jewellers in West Norfolk on Tuesday morning and made off with expensive items. Early reports suggested the suspects might also have had firearms. Tensor can supply Access Control and Visitor Management Systems (VMS) to businesses in order to increase their security. VMS is a low cost computer based Visitor Management and Visitor Pass production system. On arrival at a site, a full colour photograph is taken and personal details are recorded and digitally stored. Optionally, the visitor’s fingerprint details can be electronically enrolled to provide a future check of their identity. Once the details are safely stored within the PC, an inexpensive bar coded pass is then issued containing a photograph, name and validation dates.  

Hackers have overcome the latest online banking identity security systems. Account holders are being tricked by the offer of training in a new ‘upgraded security system’ when they log in to the bank’s genuine site, according to the BBC. Money is then siphoned out of the account with the customer completely unaware of this. Advice from experts is users should use up-to-date anti-virus software and follow a bank’s official advice, although no one individual bank is being affected. Tensor technology is equally adept at security protection both inside and outside the office. Biometrics – the technique of studying the physical characteristics of a person such as your fingerprint, hand geometry, eye structure or voice pattern – is the key to a highly secure system. Our recommended product for use with your Tensor Access Control System is our smart card access control scanner with built in fingerprint reader. We also have a selection of PC security gadgets that use compact biometric fingerprint in order to gain access.  

New seafront toilets opened today (Wednesday, February 1) to replace those which were damaged in an arson attack. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council officially opened the Pier Bandstand toilets in Weymouth. Some of the funding for the upgrade to the toilets in the area has been provided by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, the damaged toilets will remain closed to the public and the temporary toilets which had been used will be removed. In these days of heightened security, Tensor’s gates, barriers, and turnstiles will give your firm full jurisdiction over movement and access in and around your site. The key role of a Tensor barrier system is to prevent unauthorised access while providing minimum inconvenience to those who do have authorised access to your site. Tensor turnstiles are ideal for providing access to a toilet facility, to the benefit of both councils and private companies. These durable, coin operated turnstiles cope with high traffic volumes at busy spots.  

The cause is not yet known of a huge blaze affecting a warehouse today (Tuesday, January 31). The fire has sent thick billowing smoke over west London. It started at 09:35 GMT and has now been contained thanks to 15 fire engines attending the scene. A fire service spokesman said the estimated total size of the warehouse area affected was 170m by 90m (557ft by 295ft) and half of that had been on fire. The combination of contactless smart cards and fire roll call software means that security and clocking products from Tensor ensure staff safety in a fire or other emergency. The cards operate using well-proven and reliable Radio Frequency technology, which gives a constant read range. It also means that employees can exit a premises in an emergency in the quickest possible time: when placed within range of your scanner, the smart card will be read in under ½ second, even if that card is covered in oil and grease.  

Downing Street said it will not interfere with the bonuses of other Royal Bank of Scotland executives, after RBS chief executive Stephen Hester declined his award of £963,000 in shares. Mr Hester waived the 3.6 million shares package, which is his performance bonus for 2010, amid a storm of political protest on Sunday. A government spokeswoman told the BBC: “We are not going to micro-manage bonuses. They [the bank] are doing a good job and making good progress.” Beginning from the basic WinTA Start package, Tensor offers a complete smart card-operated Time and Attendance system including all the features to manage salaries, hours and bonuses. Comprehensive user-definable working patterns, rosters and shifts can be swiftly set up by the software. Overtime is easily monitored with up to four different pay bands in each shift. Bands are selected based on the time and the number of hours worked. Periodic Overtime is used to calculate overtime on weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.  

More than 2,000 police workers are to be axed next year while another 3,000 Ministry of Defence posts will go as efficiency cuts continue to bite. The police numbers are made up of civilian staff who will depart when Scotland’s new single police force is created in 2013. They include admin staff, employees who field calls from the public, court liaison officers, forensics and human resources. One-third of workers currently employed by the eight police forces will lose their posts. Businesses can benefit from Tensor’s fast, accurate and easy-to-use system to record employees' hours of working. The large colour display on Tensor's T32xx time and security clocking station makes it simple for workers to confirm their clockings or make job-booking transactions. The Tensor T32xx boasts a 480 x 272 pixel colour LCD screen with video playback; multilingual functions; an illuminated keypad for ease of text input and use; tamper detection; and digital outputs to control door locks, fire alarms and wall clocks.