The Green Paper will in part draw on information from the General Report on the Evolution of Labour Law, and of concern is the way it treats working relationships as employment and certain types of contracts as non-standard or atypical.

The so called non-standard contracts are relating to agency workers, the self-employed and the “economically dependent” (a grey area between employment and self-employment.  Typically such a person may be self-employed but have one client – so economically dependent on that one client).

The green paper highlights that these forms of contract provide much needed flexibility in view of the changing needs of businesses and the economy in general, but it also suggests they have a detrimental effect on some workers as they may be vulnerable in terms of employment rights.

Freelancers and the self-employed should be concerned about this, as this could signify a head towards restrictions on the degree of flexibility that they currently depend on.

A follow up is due the end of March 2007 – we’ll be watching progress closely.

The scam works like this:  A delivery card drops through the letter box from a company called PDR (Postal Delivery Service).   The card informs you that it had not been possible for PDR to make a delivery, and that you should contact them on the number supplied.

Not surprisingly, the number is a premium-rate line (based in Belize of all places), and by the time you have heard the start of the recorded message, you will have been charged £15.

Keep your eyes peeled.  If you receive such a card, file it under ‘R’ for Rubbish.

If you’re interested in contracting opportunities, check out OJEC.com, (the Official Journal of the European Union website). 

You should also key an eye on key trade journals from 2007 onwards, as ads will obviously pop up in these.

You have plenty of time to prepare yourself and ensure you will be ’fit’ to supply, so prepare yourself by understanding what kind of suppliers are awarded contracts. 

If you’re new to the tendering process, check out OGC.gov.uk (the Office of Government Commerce).  This gives valuable information on how to prepare, useful Dos and Don’ts.

Small businesses, London needs YOU.   

You can register for free and receive details of tendering opportunities for your particular industrial sector within a certain geographical area.  (For a small fee, you can register to receive details from other parts of the U.K. as well).

Its part of the Business Link (click on my “Home” tab and in the right-hand toolbar you’ll see a link to their website), or alternatively go straight to supply2.gov.uk.

It’s a good website and it covers a wide range of industrial sectors.   Customise your feed/search to be as specific or as generic as you want, and receive alerts by email.

A very good initiative for small businesses, particularly in view of the impending Olympic Games in 2012.  Let’s hope that local councils and local government use it as widely as possible.

Check it out and get yourself registered as soon as possible.

No wonder we drowning in excessive and unnecessary legislation.

Well, now an opportunity has arisen for small businesses to educate Members of Parliament and other policy makers.   We’re offering them the opportunity to get some work experience, and run a small business for an hour or two, perhaps even a day.

Offer a Member of Parliament some real work experience.  Not that is something.

If you would like to get involved, contact me at:  info@antecell.co.uk

But have you considered whether you might need a licence to operate your business?   

For example, to make photocopies of newspaper articles (even if you only distribute them internally) you need a Licence from the Newspaper Licensing Agency. 

Something as simple as putting an advertising board or a display stand on a public pavement requires that you register for a licence from your local authority. 

As a small business it might be tempting to make shortcuts, but don’t fall foul of these regulations.  If you’re unsure as to whether you require a licence to operate your business, either contact your local authority or check out the Business Link website at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk and select Your Type of Business.

This is very welcome news indeed, as plans include simplified application and form filling to Companies House.   As anyone who has had to register with Companies House knows, this can be a rather bewildering and intimidating process. 

For the full report, check out the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk and select Press Articles.

Looking forward to (dignified) comments from glorified secretaries everywhere – particularly if, like me, you’ve managed to escape the rat race and have gone it alone.

Watch this space for news, reviews, network links and everything else in ‘our world’.

Yours gloriously,
Glorified Secretary.