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Organisations such as the Design Council and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and Arts will be turned into charities as part of the Government’s sweeping reform of quangos, of which 192 of these non-governmental bodies are set to be scrapped. "We know that for a long time there has been a huge hunger for change," Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said yesterday. "People have been fed-up with the old way of doing business, where the ministers they voted for could often avoid taking responsibility for difficult and tough decisions by creating or hiding behind one of these quangos.” WinTA Enterprise is the complete Time & Attendance system of choice for larger organisations, holding clocking and payroll data for 10,000-plus people to create better efficiency and productivity. Tensor's Web enabled, networked, multi-site facility, WinTA Enterprise can store up to 2000 employees on a single time and attendance clock, to which extra scanners may be attached for Access Control, Job Booking, and Job Costing. WinTA Enterprise operates both the T32xx and T256x clocking stations and can record employee details for an unlimited number of people.  

A state-of-the-art car park has opened in Birmingham, as part of a brand new retail and shopping complex in the city centre. The ‘donkey work’ of actually parking your vehicle is done for you, a first for these shores. Motorists leave their car in a transfer area, then watch as the vehicle is carried down and placed in an empty bay on an automatic carrier. On returning for the car, it is lifted back up to the garage. Incredibly, the car is even turned around so it can be driven straight out. Kit out your site’s car parking facilities with Tensor’s state-of-the-art parking access control range. Characterised by a strong contoured design, all our parking posts combine peace of mind with excellent value for money, and work equally well whether in a home or corporate environment. Constructed from either cast iron or aluminium, two keys are supplied per post; and they also can be locked in a flat position. For more information on the parking posts and our smart card or networked barriers, gates and turnstiles, click here.

The National Probation Service says that re-offending rates can be reduced from 50 to 35 per cent if criminals take part in schemes such as those used to treat drug and alcohol addiction. But the trade union and campaigning group, which represents more than 9,000 probation and family court staff throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, predicts that the number of successfully completed schemes will fall if government departmental cuts proceed as planned because the service will lose experienced staff. "This will increase re-offending rates and create more victims," said the group more commonly known as Napo. Tensor security technology is an effective method of preventing break-ins and other crimes at your factory or site. We supply and install many access control, site car park barrier and visitor monitoring ID pass software and systems. Smooth and efficient access is provided by your Tensor smart card system, which creates an array of access profiles for any door lock or access point. At the same time it maintains complete security and allowing you to control the movement and identification of contractors, visitors, and their vehicles.

The TUC (Trades Union Congress) has given the thumbs-up to a slight rise in the minimum wage, which most adult UK workers are eligible for. In a statement the TUC said: “Its success has shown that – despite scare-mongering from some business voices – the economy can easily cope with sensible labour market regulation. Indeed, our current economic woes seem to be caused by too little regulation rather than too much.” The employment ministry added that the main 13p per hour increases “are appropriate for the economic climate.” Tensor time and attendance job booking and job costing systems make handling wages and Working Time Regulations (WTR) simple. WinTAnet software includes all the rules laid down in the WTR, and rules can be modified to suit your company's Working Time agreements. You are pre-warned when applying a shift pattern that will result in a WTR infringement. Standard reports show: the average hours worked during any period; instances when rest day rules have been broken; and when night workers are due a health assessment.

A walkout was saved at the last minute by thousands of journalists, technicians and other broadcast staff this week which would have jeopardised coverage of David Cameron’s speech. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband had earlier called on BBC staff not to black out Mr Cameron’s debut speech as Prime Minister midway through the Tories’ annual conference, saying that in the “interests of impartiality and fairness” it should be broadcast. Unions are clashing with BBC management over plans to cap pensionable pay. Tensor's range of Time and Attendance smart card personnel clocking handles all major hours calculation methods. From simple determination of overtime by the number of daily hours worked to the more complex payment of overtime hours adjusted when periodic targets are not met, Tensor's WinTAnet software can supply working rules to calculate the correct result. The system 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.

Having a puff on company time could be stubbed out from next week in one part of eastern England. William Nunn, leader of Breckland council, which proposes that staff will not be paid in future for the time they take to have a cigarette, said: "We want to make sure this policy is fair for all, including those that don't smoke and don't take advantage of breaks out of the building.” He added: “We surveyed all of our staff and 75% responded and said we should get a policy through the authority which made it fair for all.” WinTA Net is Tensor's world-class web enabled Time & Attendance and integrated security management system. It handles all absence planning and entitlement management, as accurate information about absenteeism is crucial for many businesses and bodies. WinTAnet provides this information 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.

Milk and juice carton company Tetra Pak is set to close a depot in Wales, resulting in 150 jobs going. Rik Jacobs, Tetra Pak managing director for the UK and Ireland, said: "The decision to consult on Wrexham's future has been an extremely difficult one, but is necessary to ensure our continued competitiveness. If the proposal to close production in Wrexham goes forward, regrettably there will be significant restructuring and job losses." Mr Jacobs said if the closure went ahead it would offer "fair and equitable severance packages over and above the statutory requirements." If your firm is restructuring or moving you can benefit from efficiencies in your HR and overheads with Tensor time and attendance software and systems. The all-in-one system features job booking and job costing, while employees log in using smart cards. As there is no physical contact between the card and reader, neither will become worn-out by continuous use, unlike swipe readers. You can quickly find the details you need with the ability to sort on any column or perform a surname search at the touch of a button with the software.

Holiday companies have come under fire for charging significantly higher prices during the school holidays than at term time, giving parents little choice in some instances but to arrange breaks during lesson time. Staffordshire County Council has recognised the problem and has been running a deal with one holiday firm to address the issue. The county saw 136,500 term time absences in 2008/09, and now the authority hopes through the initiative, it can ensure family holidays are offered at the same price throughout the year to combat the problem. Term time absences can be reduced thanks to the easy to operate Tensor Time and Attendance clocking system which schools can use as an option which will not break their budget. Via the WinTA PC Clock software the easily-customised reports can be printed automatically at any given time of the day. PC Clock can be used for any number of users as long as they have access to a computer, which is where they book in and out, and there is no need for additional licences.

Police are in an urgent hunt for a group who attacked and mugged a student who has just started being a special constable. His assailants rifled through his pockets and stole his police ID card, wallet with £20 cash, his iPhone and cash cards. Police released pictures of three suspects wanted in connection with the robbery, which happened around Castle Street in Wolverhampton. Sc Simon Rooke, who is based at Bloxwich and who has only just started in the job, had been to a nightclub with friends and was trying to stop a fight outside. Surveillance digital CCTV camera and recording systems are simple additions to your Tensor hardware thanks to our clever and versatile smart card Access Control technology. The T351x range of hardware allows seamless interfacing to our other systems of Visitor Control. As the security network grows and requires more control points, further T3510 scanners are installed, working side by side within the same network. This “building block” approach is the most cost effective way to install Access Control.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters face a travel nightmare due to a 24-hour ‘Tube’ strike finishing next Monday, October 4 over planned cuts to London Underground. Rail Maritime and Transport union general secretary Bob Crow said: "RMT remains totally opposed to the planned Tube cuts which will have devastating consequences for passenger and staff safety. We now have the ludicrous situation where passenger groups are being consulted after London Underground have already begun bulldozing through their plans.” He continued: “That makes a mockery of the process and reinforces the union position that the cuts be halted to allow proper discussions and negotiations.” One of the top Tensor workplace smart card products is a fast, accurate and easy-to-use way of recording employees' hours of working and site security. Suitable for organisations employing just a few people, right up to large multinational, multisided businesses – WinTA handles all your Time and Attendance and security and software needs in one integrated management system. It is simple to keep track of time worked throughout the year by a particular employee with the advanced Annualised Hours feature.

West Midlands Police Chief Inspector Matt Markham responded to Birmingham MP Jack Dromey’s prediction that more than one thousand officers would be lost. Mr Markham would not confirm jobs were at risk and said the force could not comment on speculation. “We understand there will be challenges ahead but we are confident we will deal with them while continuing to protect the public and maintaining the high quality of service in the communities we serve,” he said. The force’s budget has been cut by £6.9m this year as part of Whitehall steps to reduce the UK’s debt. WinTA Enterprise is the flagship product of our proven range of Windows™ based smart card time and attendance products. It provides total control over working rules, access control and job costing intended for larger companies or bodies like police forces. WinTA Enterprise holds details for up to 2000 employees, including a photograph of each person, if required. Searching for the details of a particular employee is quick and easy, with the ability to sort on any column or perform a surname search at the touch of a button.  

A Greater Manchester Fire Brigade Union spokesman has grave concerns about an order to hospital staff in the city that they must look for signs of a fire if an alarm triggers before dialling 999. Paul Fogerty said: "We've got great reservations about the policy not only around our members' safety, but also for the safety of the public we serve." Mr Fogerty said that the size of hospital buildings would make it difficult and potentially dangerous for a member of staff to establish whether there was a fire. Employees’ safety is paramount, and those at your workplace are in good hands with Tensor’s Fire Roll Call software. Your staff simply log themselves on and off site using either a smart card or key fob before assembling at their fire roll call point. In the event of an emergency, the fire roll call software announces the emergency while simultaneously activating your existing warning system. Instantaneous report generation of highly accurate attendance reports makes this software the best in the industry, and a must-have addition for any safety-conscious employer.