On September 29, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published new proposed enforcement guidance ("the Proposed Guidance”) on harassment in the workplace. This is the first proposed EEOC guidance on workplace harassment since the turn of the century ...
October 18, 2023 By: Leah Lively California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed SB 525 into law, which amends the California Labor Code to set industry minimum wage requirements for nearly all healthcare workers, whether they are hourly or salaried employees, or independent contractors. The law also provides these workers with an independent private right of action to enforce these minimum wage requirements ...
One of the most common questions I receive from clients is around the termination of leases, with confusion reigning around the terminology and procedures used in Scotland. It is not surprising that when given a remit to consider the law of commercial leases, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) first turned its attention to the law relating to the termination of leases at expiry. In October 2022, following consultations, the SLC published its Report on Aspects of Leases: Termination ...
PSNI v Agnew & Others: landmark Holiday Pay judgment from the UK Supreme Court. On 4 October 2023, the Supreme Court released its long-awaited judgment in the case of PSNI & Others -v- Agnew & Others, on the issue of holiday pay. We explain the outcome of the case and what it means for employers ...
We have previously commented on the impact environmental concerns are having on those working in the traditional energy sectors. In particular, the focus on renewable energy has left many oil and gas workers nervous about their job security and ability to find alternative work if they are made redundant. Thankfully, it appears those concerns might be unfounded ...
For a long time, socialising at work was synonymous with drinking alcohol, but in recent times we have seen this trend start to shift. This is positive news for employers who risk social events centred around alcohol inadvertently isolating those to choose not to drink. With minimal alternatives available in the past, some employees have felt a certain pressure to drink at events to ‘keep up’ with colleagues ...
The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill has received Royal Assent and will come into force, along with implementing regulations, in September 2024. This follows our previous article in which we considered the Bill and its wider implications. The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act (the Act) aims to address “one-sided flexibility” between employers and workers who undertake atypical work ...
In case 161/2022/LM, delivered on 11th October 2023, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Industrial Tribunal, which found justifiable reasons for dismissal. Following the Tribunal’s conclusion that the grounds for dismissal presented by the defendant company were justified, and consequently, the dismissal was fair, the former employee contested this decision in front of the Court of Appeal ...
Mexico has just announced significant tax incentives for companies in certain key industries to relocate operations to Mexico. A government decree issued on October 11, 2023 seeks to boost the nearshoring trend targeting ten export-oriented manufacturing sectors. Nearshoring is the process by which a company relocates operations offshore, but close to the market where it intends to sell its products ...
The Finnish government proposes significant changes to transfer taxation. Transfer tax is levied on the acquisition of shares and other securities and real property. The proposed changes may have significant effects to the taxation of M&A and real estate transactions. Some of the proposed changes will decrease the tax burden while some will result in increased tax liability. The most significant changes include: The general rate for securities (1 ...
On June 22, 2023, the federal government significantly expanded the reporting requirements for certain so-called avoidance transactions, in particular with respect to termination agreements.1 The new rules will make it easier for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to detect certain avoidance schemes, conduct tax audits and issue notices of assessment and penalties more quickly when warranted ...
Expectations are increasing and there is mounting pressure from investors and consumers for private and public sector organisations and charities to be seen to be doing something about ESG factors, including equality, diversity and inclusion. Diversity and inclusion are increasingly recognised as crucial factors in building sustainable and successful supply chains in the private, public and charity sectors ...
On 25 September 2023, in conjunction with the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority published a consultation paper on diversity and inclusion in the financial sector. The proposals include measures to ‘support healthy work cultures, reduce groupthink and unlock talent’, in order to support the competitiveness of the UK’s financial services sector ...
World Mental Health Day is marked every year on 10 October to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and to mobilise initiatives to support and protect everyone’s mental health. This year’s theme ‘mental health is a universal human right’ serves as a reminder that good mental health shouldn’t be considered a luxury; it’s a fundamental aspect of our wellbeing ...
As we navigate a rapidly changing digital landscape, upskilling our people continues to be a priority. In response, the innovators at MinterEllison developed Mintcoin, an internal crypto currency designed to reward participation in the firm’s Digital Academy program and innovation initiatives. We’re thrilled to announce that this initiative has secured MinterEllison a spot on the AFRs Most Innovative Companies list for 2023 ...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has recently issued updates to assist employers to deal with data subject access requests (DSARs) and workers’ health. Complaints on DSAR non-compliance against employers are on the rise. Between April 2022 and March 2023, the ICO received 15,848 complaints in relation to DSARs, resulting in penalties for organisations in breach ...
After a particularly active consultation round with approx. 140 consultation responses, together with the proposal for the national budget for 2024, the government presented a revised proposal today, 6 October 2023. The criticism from a relatively united renewables industry must be said to have fallen on relatively deaf ears and the proposal is essentially a continuation of the consultation proposal ...
The regulatory landscape for AI, in the UK and beyond, is evolving rapidly, with proposed statutory regimes beginning to emerge from legislators across the globe (read more here). What, then, is the current position for employers? Overview of current regime There remains a notable gap when it comes to concrete principles of liability or accountability for AI-generated or -supported outcomes ...
The UK's recent advancements in AI governance have included the publication of an initial review by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding AI foundation models. The country’s antitrust watchdog has taken the lead in shaping certain principles, recognising the need to harness AI’s potential while avoiding the pitfalls of unchecked power in the hands of a few tech companies, at the expense of broader competition ...
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S111A ERA 1996 allows an employer to conduct confidential discussions with an employee to agree terms for the employee’s exit. A decade on from the introduction of this provision, we consider its application in practice and why it remains underused ...