Issue 47 – February 2025
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Industry and Legislative News
- Right to Work Guidance Update
- EU Pre-Settled to Settled Status Update
- Employment Rights Bill – new resource available!
- The Modern Slavery Act 2015: Government issues response
- 2025 National Minimum Wage April 2025
Fast Forward News
- Upcoming Event: Future of Fast Forward – SEP Forum (For Suppliers) 12 March
- FORMAT CHANGE: Fast Forward Newsletter
- New for 2025: Easy-to-navigate webinars, available on your dashboard!
- SEP Supplier Training – book onto the next live session 4 March
- Are you a UK supplier and want to join our collaborative initiative?
Share your feedback and requests for Newsletter inclusions.
The Fast Forward Team
Join us – Brand Member, Brand Associate,
Supplier Engagement Programme.
LEGISLATIVE AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Right to Work Guidance Update
Home Office updates published on the 12 February include:
- Decommissioning of biometric cards, including Biometric Residence Permits/Card (BRP/BRC) confirming that individuals who currently use a physical immigration document, such as a BRP/BRC, or legacy paper document, should take action to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa to prove their right to work in the UK.
- Updates to Annex A: Lists of acceptable documents for manual right to work checks to confirm that a clipped British or Irish passport is a cancelled document and therefore not acceptable proof of right to work. Also, clarification that a short or long birth certificate is considered acceptable when presented with official evidence of name and national insurance number issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
- An update to Annex D: Employment of Ukrainian nationals to confirm the opening of the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme on 4 February 2025.
- The removal of the section referring to COVID-19 temporary adjusted checks.
Sign into your Dashboard and then access the new version.
EU Pre-Settled to Settled Status Update
The Home Office has announced the automatic conversion of Pre-Settled Status to Settled Status with effect from the end of January.
Employment Rights Bill – new resource available
The latest version of the Employment Rights Bill, incorporating the amendments agreed during the Committee Stage is now available. There is no more substantive detail on the key issues of zero hours contracts, notice for shifts and day one rights – we will need to wait for Regulations for more information as the bill progresses through Parliament.
Fast Forward has created a resource to keep you informed with the progress of the Bill throughout 2025, The Employment Rights Bill – Summary and Key dates.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015:
Government issues response
The government has issued its response to the House of Lords Committee report, ‘The Modern Slavery Act 2015: Becoming world-leading again,’ committing to reforms that aim to strengthen protections for victims and improve enforcement against perpetrators of modern slavery.
2025 National Minimum Wage
National Living Wage to increase to £12.21 from 1 April 2025. Read more.
FAST FORWARD NEWS
Upcoming Event: Future of Fast Forward –
SEP Forum (For Suppliers)
We have brought forward the first supplier forum of 2025 as we are considering some important strategic changes and would really appreciate your input.
If you are currently SEP subscribed and you did not receive your invitation by email contact events@fastforwarduk.org.
FORMAT CHANGE: Fast Forward Newsletter
Exciting news! Starting May 2025, the Fast Forward news and programme updates will be merging into the Stronger Together edition. Stay tuned for next month’s final edition in this format for the details of how to get these useful insights, straight to your inbox!
New for 2025: Easy-to-navigate webinars,
available on your dashboard!
Need a refresher? Now all current and past webinars are provided to Suppliers and Brands in a user friendly format, accessible through your dashboard, making it simpler than ever to stay up to date. Whether you’re catching up or exploring new content, it’s all just a click away!
Are you a UK supplier and want to join our collaborative initiative?
Join the Fast Forward Supplier Engagement Programme to access the webinars above, learn how to achieve, implement and exceed legal and ethical standards in your business, build worker loyalty and engagement, enhance your reputation and access potential customers through visibility of your engagement to all Fast Forward Member Brands*.
Supplier (SEP) Training Sessions
The Supplier Engagement Programme (SEP) training sessions are now available to book through your Dashboard, with the next live training being held on 4 March.
During this 2.5-hour training session, your business can gain essential insights on how to effectively navigate your dedicated dashboard and self-paced Core Standards training modules, ensuring you remain well-informed about the latest features and and industry standards. Our training sessions are open to both SEP subscribers and Brand members.
If you are an SEP subscriber or Member Brand review the full agenda.
Just Good Work
Just Good Work is a free, interactive mobile app giving jobseekers and workers from the UK or abroad critical information and advice on recruitment and employment. The Fast Forward audit requires businesses to display the Just Good Work poster.
Posters are available to download for free in nine languages from the Fast Forward website: Albanian, Bulgarian, English, Croatian, Gujarati, Polish, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
IN THIS NEWSLETTER?
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