On September 17, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsome signed AB 685 into law. Effective January 1, 2021, AB 685 makes several changes to the California Labor Code regarding occupational exposure to COVID-19. This includes authorizing Cal-OSHA to essentially shut down a workplace if it determines that the risk of COVID-19 exposure constitutes an imminent hazard to employees ...
Part 2 of this series is about data protection. In case of questions, please contact Zoltán Balázs Kovács. How do you secure data in the home office environment? What policies should be in place to secure data and devices? What does a data breach mean? Employers must comply with the principle of accountability and demonstrate compliance (including by way of applying proper internal policies). This is important also from the perspective of data security ...
Key Points Starting Jan. 1, 2021, California skilled nursing facilities must have a full-time, dedicated Infection Preventionist. Infection Preventionists must be an RN or LVN, but their hours may not count in minimum direct patient care staffing calculations ...
This is to inform you that the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation dated October 01, 2020 No. 1587, has extended the moratorium on bankruptcy of companies, at the request of their credi-tors, until January 07, 2021. In this regard, we would like to draw your attention to the key provisions related to the moratorium re-gime and its extension. 1. Moratorium – the first results ...
In this article, Grace Chai Huey Yann explores common issues relating to remote working arrangements implemented by employers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented impact on businesses worldwide, especially when international borders are closed and various degrees of lockdown are introduced in response to the pandemic. Since the first quarter of this eventful year, virtual working has become the option for many employers ...
SME Merger and Acquisition instruments exempt from stamp dutyThe Prime Minister announced that starting from 1 July 2020 until 30 June 2021, eligible SMEs will be exempted from paying stamp duty on instruments for Mergers & Acquisitions (“M&A instruments”), including Contracts or Agreements for sale or lease of properties (including land, building, machinery and equipment); Instrument of Transfer and Memorandum of Understanding; Loans or Financing Agreement; and First Tenancy
THE POSITION BEFORE THE SEC STATEMENT The Security and Exchange Commission of Nigeria (the “SEC” or the “Commission”) on 14 September 2020, released their Statement on Digital Assets and their Classification and Treatment (the “Statement”) pursuant to the powers conferred on it by the Investment and Securities Act 2007[1](“ISA”) ...
On September 18th, 2020, the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (Roszdravnadzor) adopted a new Order approving the criteria for blocking the websites with the content infringing the healthcare regulations. The document establishes criteria for identifying and blocking websites that illegally sale or distribute content that forms a positive image of persons engaged in prohibited retail trade of medicines ...
Key Points Under the final regulations, the IRS can change the default rate of withholding applied to monthly pension or annuity payments simply by issuing new forms, instructions, or other guidance, rather than by having to issue new regulations. Plan administrators and annuity providers should consider making changes to their systems and processes to allow frequent changes to the default withholding rate for pension or annuity payments ...
In a judgment delivered on the 30th September 2020, the Court of Appeal confirmed a decision of the Industrial Tribunal ("the Tribunal") which had found that the relationship between the applicant and the defendant company was not one of employment. The applicant had instituted proceedings before the Industrial Tribunal following the termination of his contract ...
On September 17, 2020, the British Columbia government released its economic recovery plan for the province, Stronger BC for Everyone: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan. The plan details various new support measures for B.C. businesses, including a new refundable tax credit for employers. The B.C ...
For the financial services sector, 2020 was to be the year of rebuilding after the royal commission reckoning of 2018-2019. But with 2020 presenting circumstances that were previously unimaginable, the sector – like the entire Australian economy – has a whole new set of challenges to face… As 2020 ticks on, the financial services industry is grappling with new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn ...
BAG, ruling dated May 13, 2020, 4 AZR 528/19 The employee's remuneration, referred to in an employment contract as "collectively agreed salary" is to be understood as a "dynamic reference clause". If a reference "to the collective agreements applicable for the Company" has been agreed upon in the employment contract, this reference is limited to the binding collective agreements applicable for the employer at the time the contract is concluded ...
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media has repeatedly reported about terminations by the employer, which are based on the fact that employees did not adhere to corona measures during their leisure time, for example because they took part in large anti-corona demonstrations and disregarded the distance rule or were associated with anti-constitutional ideas ...
As part of some new measures that aim to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the government has imposed a new record-keeping obligation on certain employers and users which temporarily rely on foreign employees or self-employed individuals. In-scope employers and users must also verify whether the foreign employees and self-employed individuals have duly completed the passenger locator form. These new obligations apply from 24 August 2020 until 31 October 2020, but will likely be extended ...
Part 1 of this series discusses labour law and labour safety issues. What is it that has changed regarding home office and teleworking because of Covid-19? What can we expect in the future? How can employers prepare for the “new normal” and how can employees manage things from their side? Before Covid-19, teleworking and working from home in Hungary represented a percentage of 1.2 among employees aged between 15-64, according to Eurostat ...
On September 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its first-ever proposed rule outlining a test for when a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In its proposed rule, the DOL has created a new framework for the well-established “economic reality” independent contractor test ...
The Tax Court of Canada (the “Court”) recently upheld the deductibility of carrying charges incurred in connection with an issuance of shares. In so doing, the court upheld the tax benefits arising from a common financing practice. In addition, the Court reiterated the principle in tax matters according to which, save in exceptional cases, the legal relationships established by one or more taxpayers must be respected ...
Key Notes FDA announces flexible approach to enforcement of Nutrition and Supplement Facts labeling requirements for small food manufacturers and manufacturers of packaging for single-ingredient sugars, in part due to the impacts of COVID-19. The FDA adopted final rules updating the Nutrition and Supplement Facts1 labeling requirements (the “Rules”) that are effective on Jan ...
In response to COVID-19, the federal government and the provinces have introduced various measures to mitigate the financial impact across the country. One of these measures is the introduction of a new type of type of unpaid, job-protected leave related to COVID-19. As of the date of this bulletin, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and the federal government have introduced these new leaves ...
A company’s need for substantial amounts of capital is intensified when looking to grow quickly, or develop an innovative product that will disrupt the market in a meaningful way. This is true to any company, and is especially true to innovative and disruptive startups, which aim at creating new markets, revolutionizing existing ones and prevailing over traditional market participants ...
Law 50/2020 of 25 August transposed into Portuguese national law Directive (EU) 2017/828 of the European Parliament and the Council of 17 May 2017 as regards the encouragement of long-term shareholder engagement. This directive is known as the Shareholder Rights Directive II and it amends the previous Directive 2007/36/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 11 July 2007 ...
