Chamber beefs up employment law and health & safety advice

GREATER Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has joined forces with one of the country’s biggest employment law and health and safety specialists, to offer a new service to its members in Birmingham, Solihull and the Institute of Asian Businesses.

The partnership is with Manchester-based Peninsula, which is to become the official provider of human resource (HR) services to members.

The free service will focus on providing support for businesses dealing with health and safety and employment law issues.

The latter will include a wide range of issues which affect businesses, such as employment tribunals, redundancies, and workplace bullying.

Peninsula runs a 24-hour advice service, which is available 365 days a year. In addition, chamber members will be able to access advice on employment and HR online.

On-site consultancy support will also be available, as will legal support, including insurance, in the event of an employment tribunal or an issue with health and safety enforcement authorities.

Peninsula will also be running a series of free seminars for chamber members who will cover both the hot topics, such as changes to employment and health and safety legislation, to dealing with common problems in the workplace.

Among themes that are currently being covered are managing absenteeism and sickness, health and safety compliance, and how to avoid an employment tribunal.

Mandy Canny, director of membership, said: “We are pleased to be working with Peninsula to be offering HR support to our members in Birmingham and Solihull, and also IAB members.

“It is an added value service which is completely free for members to use, and people will find it of great benefit.”

Peninsula’s Steve Hadley said employees were valuable assets to any business and it was vital that all facets of employment law were complied with.

Peninsula was established in 1983, and has more than 900 staff. The firm has more than 27,000 clients.

Peninsula’s services will not be available to South Staffordshire Chamber members, as this area is covered by a separate arrangement.