United Kingdom

UK - Pension rights for thousands of workers will be scupperedif the government upholds Pickering's proposals on instant vesting, leading lawyers warn.

UK - Schroder Investment Management has made a further addition to their research team with the appointment of Stephen Rees.

UK - Mercer Human Resource Consulting has hit out against calls for compulsory pension contributions, saying that it would not encourage people to save for retirement.

UK/EUROPE - Independent investment manager Hermes has launched a new active European Smaller Companies fund.

UK - A new survey has revealed that a further 113 companies are considering junking their final salary schemes.

UK - Axa Investment Managers is urging schemes to increase UK equity weightings because it is now cheap enough to deliver returns.

UK - HSBC's pensions consultancy practice is holding a series of breakfast seminars on the implications of the Pickering Report.

UK - Firms and employees will be hit by an employment tribunal decision on part-timers' pension rights, lawyers warn.

UK - NeoNet, a leading provider of real-time equity trading services for institutional investors and broker-dealers, is establishing a sales and representation office in London.

UK - Scottish Equitable is urging the government to improve contracting-out rebates to give people a clear incentive to move away from the state pension scheme.