In the United States, a federal judge approved on 10 May 2005 of the plan of United Airlines (“UA”) to terminate four employees’ defined-benefit pension plans and the pension responsibility are shifted to and assumed by the government’s pension insurer, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”). The decision will have a great impact on pension obligations to 120,000 current and former employees of UA and could have far-reaching implications for the pensions industry worldwide ...
The Labour Law of the People’s Republic of China (“Labour Law”) is applicable to all employment relationships between individuals and enterprises in China. However, local governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities may, and most of them do, issue detailed measures and rules for the implementation of the Labour Law. Such detailed measures are promulgated based on the Labour Law, with changes and specific details made in light of the local conditions ...
On April 12, 2005, grievance arbitrator Denis Tremblay issued a major ruling on the validity of a policy on alcohol consumption and drug use implemented by the Goodyear tire plant in Valleyfield during the summer of 2004. The policy was widely attacked by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, local 143, representing all of the plant’s production employees (close to 1,000 employees) ...
In this edition: - Fire Legislation Changes - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations Amended - Accounting for Risk - Workplace Stress - Lock up Your Ladders - Corporate Manslaughter Act Moves Closer to Reality - Vibration Regulations are Imminent
The Irish Law Reform Commission has published two consultation papers recommending legislative changes to clarify the role, duties, powers and responsibilities of trustees, including charitable trustees, so that general trust law keeps up with the ever changing economic and social climate ...
The new Arbitration Rules of the International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) came into force on 1 May 2005. The following are the major changes: Specialist Arbitration Rules The new Rules provide for the possibility of using rules tailored made for specific industries. Todate, only rules for financial disputes have been published. Specialist panels of arbitrators have also been set up according to the nature of dispute ...
The decision to terminate an employee carries with it the risk of a possible legal challenge. Depending upon an employer’s policies or whether an employee has an employment contract, an employee may, for example, have a breach of contract or “wrongful discharge” claim. An “at-will” employer - that is, an employer who reserves the right to terminate employees without cause - generally does not need to worry about such claims ...
On May 10, 2005 an “Accord Establishing Additional Benefits for Certified Companies With a Maquila or PITEX Program” came into effect. This new accord provides additional benefits for certified companies which have a maquila or PITEX program ...
Preamble In Quebec, most collective agreements contain a “loss of seniority and employment” clause according to which the signatories agree to terminate the employment of an employee in various circumstances, in particular after an absence of a specific period of time due to disability or illness. Collective agreements usually also provide for a benefit plan for an employee who is absent due to disability or illness, or the protection of his or her employment during this period ...
With more than 13 million working days a year lost to stress at an estimated cost of £3.8 billion to the economy, managing employees’ anxiety levels has never been more important Although the figure of half a million workers in the UK experiencing work-related stress at intolerable levels appears manageable, this is really only the tip of the iceberg with up to five million people feeling 'very' or 'extremely' stressed by work ...
On 26 October 2004, Lithuanian Parliament adopted the Law on Works Councils which came into effect from 11 November 2004. In this memorandum please find short comments regarding the procedure for formation of national works councils, their role in the enterprise, obligations and additional legal possibilities of employers related to works councils ...
Employers often find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when trying to manage employees who are pregnant. If the employer gets it wrong, he faces the potential for claims of sex discrimination and the possibility of a finding of automatic unfair dismissal. This can not only tarnish his reputation but hit him hard in the pocket too ...
In this article, we have summarised several recent employment cases that address the issues of maternity protection, summary dismissal, notice of termination of employment, payable wages and vicarious liability. Some of these cases ascertain the established position of the law whilst others shed new lights on some areas of uncertainties. The case of Sun Min v. Hong Kong Ming Wah Shipping Co. Ltd ...
Even if an idea for a new invention only exists in the mind of an employee, that idea belongs to the company…unless the contract of employment clearly states otherwise! The importance of ensuring that contracts of employment cover this area has been brought into sharp focus by a recent case in Texas, where the rules are very similar to those in the UK ...
All companies must manage their excessive absenteeism files. Repeated absences, even when they only involve a small percentage of employees, have a substantial negative impact on all employees. An employer should therefore intervene immediately to prevent its employees from thinking that they can be absent whenever they wish. Also, many employees use the example of other employees to justify their own absences, causing the problem to grow out of proportion ...
Introduction As of June 2004, the Commission des lésions professionnelles (“CLP”) will implement guidelines (“Guidelines”) stating its expectations of expert witnesses, both as regards their written reports and the content of their testimony. Over the past years, there has been much criticism by CLP adjudicators concerning the involvement of expert witnesses in judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings. Their impartiality and objectivity were often in question ...
On June 1st, 2004, new recourses for psychological harassment at work will come into force. The imminent arrival of these remedies should motivate employers to implement effective mechanisms to prevent and settle situations of psychological harassment at work. However, June 1st is quickly approaching and most employers are not properly prepared ...
For quite a while now, Québec legislation, like that of most Canadian provinces, provides that the directors, officers, employees or representatives of a legal person (for example: an incorporated company) can be sued personally for the commission or omission of acts that could directly and seriously compromise the health, safety or physical integrity of a worker. This offence is covered under section 237 and 241 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (R.S.Q., c. S-2.1) ...
International companies can now breathe a sigh of relief following the Court of Appeal’s decision in Serco – v- Lawson which considered the vexed issue of whether Employment Tribunals can hear claims of unfair dismissal notwithstanding the fact that the employee might not work in Great Britain. Section 196 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 used to prevent employees ordinarily working outside Great Britain from complaining of unfair dismissal to an Employment Tribunal ...
Whether your company engages in maintenance activities, manages or rents space in a building,1 you should give serious consideration to applicable construction industry rules before agreeing upon a price: a recent judgment of the Court of Appeal may be of interest to you if, under Québec legislation, your employees are required to be members of a construction trade (carpenter, plasterer, plumber, electrician) in order to perform their work ...
An Act to amend the Labour Code (S.Q. 2003, c. 26) This is a revised edition of a November 2003 bulletin pertaining to Bill 31 prior to its enactment ...
The Labour Code approved by Law no. 99/2003 of 27 August will come into force on 1 December next, the first stage of the labour law reform thus coming to a close. Driven by the pressing need to endow the country with more flexible and investment, productivity and employment generating labour laws, the reform was at first enthusiastically backed by the employers’ confederations and firmly opposed by the trade unions ...
From among the innovations brought by the Labour Code, noteworthy is the express recognition of what are known as “personality rights” set forth in Articles 15 to 21 of the Code. To be considered, however, is that our legal system has long acknowledged the existence of this category of rights, which characteristically encompass the vital aspects of human personality and are acquired at birth and, as such, classifies such rights as universal ...
From among the special forms of contracting employment, special reference should be made, as it is an innovation, to the possibility of an employee being bound simultaneously to several employers provided there are corporate or organisation relations between them, by way of a contract in writing stating which of the employers represents the others in the performance thereof. Where these requirements are not met, the employee will be free to choose to which employer he/she wishes to be bound ...
