History of the Department

The Labour Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network is a young institution. The milestones below record the period leading to its establishment and the first steps taken on the day it was established, and will be extended as the inspection programme and the Dispute Resolution Service come into operation.

1. Before September 2026

   Employment terms set by each member organisation

   Before the Department existed, each member organisation of the Network fixed its own terms of employment and made its own arrangements for the safety of its staff. There was no common standard of employment, no independent inspection of workplaces and no means of resolving a dispute between a member of staff and an employer other than the employer's own procedures.

2. 10 August 2026

   Transition period begins

   Member organisations began transferring their employment and safety functions to the Department in preparation for establishment. Interim arrangements for the reporting of safety concerns and the notification of incidents came into effect, and the registration of employers began.

3. 12 August to 3 September 2026

   First inspections under interim arrangements

   Inspectors seconded from member organisations carried out 23 inspections, sixteen of them in response to reports of concern. Three improvement notices and one prohibition notice were served, the latter halting roof works at Southbank Terminal until edge protection was installed.

4. 5 September 2026

   Transition period ends

   Registration of employers was completed, with 312 member organisations employing 38,600 staff on the register. Eighty-seven reports of safety concerns, fourteen notifications of incidents and thirty-one enquiries concerning disputes had been received under the interim arrangements.

5. 6 September 2026

   Department established

   The Labour Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network was formally established, with responsibility for employment rights and workplace safety for the staff of member organisations, the inspection of workplaces and the resolution of employment disputes.

6. 6 September 2026

   Official website launched

   The Department launched labour.gov.vin, carrying press releases and official statements, the Employment Rights Standard, guidance on working time, leave and workplace safety, the inspection programme and the procedure of the Dispute Resolution Service.

7. 6 September 2026

   Employment Rights Standard published

   The Standard, setting out the minimum terms on which staff are employed within the Network, was published and applies from the day of establishment to every contract of employment with a member organisation. Employers were given until 5 October 2026 to issue written statements to existing staff.

8. 6 September 2026

   Inspection programme and reporting arrangements announced

   The Department announced 96 inspections in its first cycle, from 14 September to 18 December 2026, opened the reporting of safety concerns under its own arrangements, and published its first statistical release covering the transition period.

9. 14 September 2026

   Inspection programme begins and Dispute Resolution Service opens

   The first cycle of inspections begins with distribution and warehousing premises at Westbrook Distribution Site and Southbank Terminal. The Dispute Resolution Service opens and takes up the enquiries received during the transition period in the order received.

10. Forthcoming

    Minimum rate of pay and first quarterly report

    A minimum rate of pay for employment within the Network is under consideration and will be announced in the Newsroom. The Department's first full quarterly report, covering the period to 31 December 2026, will be published in January 2027.

Announcements are published in the Newsroom. For the Department's present responsibilities, see About the Department; for the figures recorded at establishment, see Statistics.