
Law reforms set to shake up NI employment as business gives mixed reaction
The Employment Bill will bring dramatic changes to workplaces in Northern Ireland which some businesspeople say they have serious reservations about
Business in Northern Ireland has said it wants to continue to be heard as Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald announced major changes to how workplaces operate in the Employment Bill.
The legislation aims include ending 'exploitative' zero hours contracts, modernising the trade union framework and making it easier to attain flexible working.

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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Sickness absence rate down to just four days a year for every worker
The percentage of working hours lost fell by 0.3 percentage points over the year to 2%, said the report. The sickness absence rate – the percentage of working hours lost because of sickness or injury – was 2.0% in 2024, 0.3 percentage points down on the previous year. Read more ➡️ — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) June 4, 2025 Minor illnesses were the most common reason given for sickness absence in 2024, accounting for almost a third of cases, followed by musculoskeletal problems at 15.5%. Groups with the highest rates of sickness absence in 2024 included women, older workers, those with long-term health conditions, people working part-time and public sector workers, said the ONS. It added that time lost averaged 4.4 days per worker in 2024. Minor illnesses were the most common reason given for sickness absence in 2024, accounting for 30.0% of occurrences, followed by musculoskeletal problems at 15.5%. — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) June 4, 2025 Amanda Walters, director of the Safe Sick Pay campaign, an alliance campaigning for sick pay reform, said: 'The fall in sickness absence may seem a positive development but the figures mask the fact that far too many UK workers regularly go to work when they are too ill. 'We are amongst the least likely to take sick days in Europe as our woeful statutory sick pay system is forcing millions of people to drag themselves into work ill, risking their long term health because they need to pay the bills. This costs the economy billions in lost productivity. 'The Government is fixing one part of the problem by improving sick pay coverage for some lower earners in the employment Bill, but is not doing enough to sort out the sorry state of our sick pay system. 'The weekly rate of sick pay remains just £3 an hour for a full time worker. If we are serious about improving the health of the working age population, the Government needs to stop ignoring the elephant in the room and put statutory sick pay in line with the minimum wage.'


The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Belfast tech company invests £1.8m in cybersecurity solution for factory floors
A Belfast-based tech company has announced a near £2 million investment in creating cybersecurity software for the manufacturing sector. The move by ANGOKA is aimed at combating the threat of cyber attacks on digitised factory production lines. The company's Cosmic (Cybersecurity for Operational Systems in Manufacturing and Industrial Control) initiative will see it partnering with Queen's University's Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC). The link-up has received around £1 million in grant aid financial support from Invest NI. Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald attended the announcement of the £1.8 million investment on Monday. 'This investment by ANGOKA will help increase productivity, create good jobs and boost innovation across two of our priority sectors – cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing,' she said. 'It is the result of collaboration between government, academia and the private sector. And it has been enabled by the city and growth deal which established the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. So, today's announcement is a great example of our economic strategy paying dividends.' ANGOKA chairman Steve Berry said: 'With cyber threats growing in both scale and sophistication, demand for solutions that protect online devices has surged across the globe. 'Cosmic is a reaction to the growing need for cybersecurity adoption in the advanced manufacturing sector due to the detrimental impact any breaches could have on the operational resilience of manufacturing facilities. 'Our new solution will allow us to expand our core offering and achieve ambitious growth targets. It will be designed for ease of deployment both on existing and new manufacturing equipment. This seamless deployment will be a key enabler for breaking into new markets across the globe.' Over the next two years, AMIC will support the development of the software through product testing, identification of target customers for commercial deployments and acting as a point of contact with industry groups.


Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast firm to invest nearly £2m in cybersecurity product
A Belfast-based firm is investing nearly £2m on developing a cyber security product for advanced manufacturing. Angoka is spending £1.8m creating the solution designed to help businesses defend increasingly digitalised manufacturing processes. The product is being jointly developed with the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), a project which brings together Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University with public sector bodies to support industry. The project has also received funding from Invest NI. Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said: 'This investment by Angoka will help increase productivity, create good jobs, and boost innovation across two of our priority sectors - cyber security and advanced manufacturing. 'It is the result of collaboration between government, academia and the private sector. And it has been enabled by the City and Growth Deal which established the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. 'So today's announcement is a great example of our economic strategy paying dividends.' Angoka chairman Steve Berry said: 'With cyber threats growing in both scale and sophistication, demand for solutions that protect online devices has surged across the globe. 'COSMIC is a reaction to the growing need for cyber security adoption in the advanced manufacturing sector due to the detrimental impact any breaches could have on the operational resilience of manufacturing facilities. 'Our new solution will allow us to expand our core offering and achieve ambitious growth targets. It will be designed for ease of deployment both on existing and new manufacturing equipment. 'This seamless deployment will be a key enabler for breaking into new markets across the globe.' Sam Turner, chief executive of AMIC, said the company is at the heart of the innovation support system for Northern Ireland manufacturing. 'Led by Queen's University in partnership with industry, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Ulster University, we support our industrial clients in transforming processes and introducing new cutting-edge innovative products. 'With our new Factory-of-the-Future opening in 2026 and our mission to drive growth, competitiveness and innovation, the AMIC team is delighted to support Angoka with this project.' Dr Vicky Kell, director of innovation, research and development at Invest NI said: 'This investment in R&D is a vote of confidence in our talent, infrastructure and R&D capabilities in Northern Ireland. 'The benefits of investing in R&D are rich, and Angoka is testament to how R&D can enable the development of game changing products which can drive competitiveness in the global market. 'This investment directly supports our business strategy, which prioritises accelerating innovation and maximising the wider benefits of City and Growth Deals to drive innovation and build collaboration with academia and industry to develop next-generation products and services.' Angola was founded in 2019 by Mr Berry, and specialises in authentication technology. It also offers threat analysis and risk assessment services to companies. Clients and partners include Sunderland City Council and the UK Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. As part of its work on the security of self-driving vehicles, Angoka is one of the partners on the Harlander self-driving bus, which aims to enter service on the Belfast Harbour estate in the coming months.