Using muti or traditional preparations to intimidate, scare or threaten a colleague constitutes misconduct and employers have the right to “remove such purveyors of darkness from their environment”.This was the outcome of recent arbitration proceedings before the National Bargaining Council for the Sugar Manufacturing and Refining Industry in the case of NASARIEU obo Mngomezulu v Tongaat Hulett Sugar Limited (Darnall) (case no. NBCS5-15, 15 June 2016) ...
In insurance law, as well as in other areas of contract law, the precise definition and scope of the terminology used in a contract are very important since they have a direct effect on the obligations of the parties and, in the case under review, the scope of the insurance coverage. On February 11, 2016, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal1 issued two judgments while it analyzed the scope to be given to some expressions inherent to insurance contracts ...
We would like to inform you that the draft Federal Law № 1015753-6 “On Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (hereinafter - the “Administrative Code”) for prevention of illegal engagement of foreign nationals to work on construction projects” (hereinafter - the “Draft Law”) is currently under consideration by the State Duma at the first reading ...
In February 2016, a general collective agreement was signed between the Histadrut (the largest labor union in Israel) and the Presidium of Israeli Business Organizations (the umbrella organization of employers in Israel).The collective agreement will come into effect on July 1, 2016 and its provisions are expected to be applied by extension order to all employees in Israel ...
Significant international sport and cultural events like Euro 2016 may, in some cases, result in conflict between employers and even the most disciplined and professional employees. So what is it like for employers? Obviously, football euphoria cannot stay outside the work place: plenty of discussions on victories and defeats of national teams during working hours, applications to work from home or leave, watching broadcasts on corporate devices and so on ...
The June 2016 issue of the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) included an international briefing article entitled “Employees in corporate reorganisations.” The article was contributed by SyCipLaw partner Ronald Mark C. Lleno and senior associate Easter Princess U. Castro.Read the article online at the IFLR website ...
One may say that Russian migration procedures are overly complicated but is it really so, especially for foreign nationals falling into the category of highly qualified specialists (the HQS)? In reality, the procedure is not so complicated. Its main peculiarity is that it is quite formalistic and requires attention to details of both the employer and the employee. Under the general rule, a foreign national planning to work in Russia shall have a work permit and work visa ...
One of the innovations introduced by the Companies Act, 71 of 2008 (“Companies Act”) is the mechanism of business rescue proceedings in South Africa. In particular, chapter 6 of the Companies Act was inserted to “provide for the efficient rescue and recovery of financially distressed companies, in a manner that balances the rights and interests of all relevant stakeholders” (see section 7(k)) ...
The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) - arguably the most significant change to U.S. intellectual property laws in the past decade - was signed into law by President Obama on May 11, 2016. The DTSA creates a federal, civil remedy for misappropriation of a trade secret that is related to a product or service used in, or intended for use in, interstate or foreign commerce ...
On May 16, 2016, the Québec Court of Appeal adjudicated1 on whether a professional liability insurer can plead the nullity of a policy based on misrepresentations or concealment of facts by the insured. This decision is of interest because it addresses the novel issue of whether a liability insurer can claim the nullity of an insurance contract where it is compulsory for the insured to hold such insurance under the applicable legislation ...
There’s no longer a basis to speculate or read or ignore the rumors. The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized its changes to the regulations governing who may be exempt from being paid overtime. The changes will still be dramatic in terms of the number of employees impacted, but employers’ worst fears as to what they might contain did not quite materialize. Last Summer’s Proposed Regulations Early last summer, the DOL published its proposed changes to the overtime regulations ...
The facts of the Roy v. Lefebvre caseOn June 25, 2014, the Superior Court1 allowed the action of an insured against a life insurance broker and his firm. The context of the subscription of the insurance policy is somewhat unusual and deserves explanations. In 1992, the purchaser of an immovable property undertook to pay part of the purchase price through the subscription of an insurance policy (the ?Policy?) on the life of the seller for the benefit of the estate of the seller ...
Last May 2, the Court of Appeal granted a motion to dismiss an appeal against a significant decision in the area of civil liability in the context of the practice of a sport.1Decision at trial2 The facts in the case date back to October 3, 2010. A few seconds after the start of a hockey game between two junior teams, the plaintiff, Andrew Zaccardo, was violently body checked from behind by the defendant Ludovic Gauvreau-Beaupré, a player on the opposing team ...
On May 11, 2016, OSHA issued a final rule, which is slated to go into effect January 1, 2017. This requires certain employers to electronically submit information regarding workplace injuries and illnesses. As with any new rule-making by OSHA, presumably legal challenges to the rule are on the way. Nonetheless, here are the relevant new provisions. Read the full alert ...
In a recent case, the Labour Court needed to consider the interplay between section 136 of the Companies Act, 2008 and section 189 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“the LRA”). The latter section enables an employer to terminate an employee’s employment based on operational requirements. Section 136(1)(a) of the Companies Act provides that, during business rescue proceedings, employees will continue to be employed by the employer on the existing terms and conditions of employment ...
Karanović & Nikolić recently organised a workshop in cooperation with the Faculty of Law, under the title of "Managing Emotions in Labor Disputes – More than Law", as part of the Trial Simulation and Case Studies course ...
Obesity was not a disabilityThe judgment in the obesity case - which has caused quite a stir both in Denmark and the rest of the world - has finally been delivered.The case involved a Danish childminder who for more than 15 years had worked for a municipalitywhere he had provided childcare services in his own home. On 22 November 2010, the childminder was dismissed due to a decreased number of children in the municipality ...
According to the Danish Supreme Court's judgment of 17 March 2016, an employer's summary dismissal of an employee was justified due to the employee's use of his company mobile phone for the purchase of train tickets by means of an app, after which the expense was paid over the phone bill. The case involved an employee who - by virtue of his position as system developer - had been provided with a company mobile phone ...
This question was addressed by the Danish Board of Equal Treatment in its decision of 3 March 2016. The Board found that a provision in the staff manual - stipulating the termination of the employment relationship when the employee had reached the age of 70 - could not, as a matter of course, be considered to form part of the specific employment relationship ...
One of the issues an employer is obliged to consult on during a potential retrenchment process is the selection criteria to be applied when determining which employees will be dismissed and which will be retained. In doing so, the employer should aim to reach agreement with the other consulting party/parties on what the selection criteria should be ...
In insurance law, as well as in other areas of contract law, the precise definition and scope of the terminology used in a contract are very important since they have a direct effect on the obligations of the parties and, in the case under review, the scope of the insurance coverage. On February 11, 2016, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal1 issued two judgments while it analyzed the scope to be given to some expressions inherent to insurance contracts ...
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court ruling finding that the placement of confidential patient medical records on the Internet qualifies as “publication” for purposes of an insurer’s duty to defend under a commercial general liability policy ...
Dear All,We would like to inform you that the President of the Russian Federation ordered to abolish the Federal Migration Service (hereinafter the “FMS”). Decision is formalized by the Executive Order “On Improving State Administration in Exercising Control over the Circulation of Narcotic Substances, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors, and in the Sphere of Migration” No. 156 dated April 5, 2016 (hereinafter the “Executive Order”) ...
On December 23, 2015, the Ontario Court of Appeal1 set aside a decision of the motion judge2 which had granted a motion for summary judgment brought by the insurer to dismiss a claim by its insured.FactsThe insured had entered into an agreement with a contractor to restore the exterior cladding of her home. The restoration process involved the use of water jets. The contractor was first required to seal all areas where water might enter the interior of the home ...
