B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry,[1] and the Public Health Agency of Canada,[2] have recommended that individuals who are not fully vaccinated[3] continue wearing masks in indoor public spaces. At the same time, public authorities are providing little to no guidance on how or when businesses can continue mask requirements ...
As Singapore’s economy gears up for the new normal, the government may need to relook at how it attracts foreign talent, and how it values those committed to setting up home here for the long haul. My friend P was born near Vladivostok, in what was then USSR. When he was 12, his shipping executive father uprooted the family and moved to Singapore on a two-year contract, which was then renewed over and over ...
The rapid rise in COVID-19 infection rates and a shift to Adjusted Alert Level 4 in South Africa have heightened many employees’ fears and reluctance about physical work interactions, returning to and/or continuing to work in traditional workplaces. Employers must prepare to manage these concerns properly and be informed of their rights and obligations regarding remote working arrangements. The stakes have never been higher ...
Please find, herein, our latest up-to-date digest of the most significant court decisions, concerning remote work. Here are the precedents of regional judicial authorities, in 2020 and 2021, including the decisions of first instance courts establishing the approach on the new regulations of remote work, as of January 1st, 2021. 1 ...
On July 1, 2021, B.C. moved into Step 3 of its COVID-19 Restart Plan. As part of this phase, B.C. employers are no longer required to maintain a WorkSafeBC approved COVID-19 Safety Plan. Instead, they are required to transition to a Communicable Disease Prevention Plan. What is a Communicable Disease Prevention Plan? It is a plan that outlines the steps an employer is taking to reduce the risk to their workers from communicable diseases in their workplace ...
For the past 25 years, Peru has been undergoing comprehensive economic growth, followed by a modernization and development process, which includes the establishment of a reliable legal framework geared towards maintaining the stability required to promote private sector activity and investment. This continuous growth has been the best incentive to attract substantial foreign investment in various industries ...
On June 27, Supreme Decree Nº 005-2021-IN was published in the Official Gazette “El Peruano” adopting the new “National Directive of Internal Order for the protection of National Critical Assets – ACN” (“New Directive”) ...
On June 17, 2021, Law 21,348 (hereinafter, the " Law ") was published in the Official Gazette, the purpose of which is to legally guide the powers of the President of the Republic (hereinafter, the " President ") regarding the state of constitutional exception of catastrophe due to public calamity, in order to guarantee, in situations of pandemic, health crisis and natural disasters, the access and availability in sufficient quantities of water to the affected population ...
Financial ServicesTransition from LIBORIn this article, Krystle Lui Shu Lin reports on the transition from LIBOR rates to risk-free rates ...
On 29 June 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) implemented ‘Round 9’ of measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and workers in Cambodia. The RGC noted that COVID-19 situation continues to evolve alarmingly with the recent mutation of the virus, which has added socio-economic pressures to many countries around the world ...
The National Mining Agency (“ANM”) amends Resolutions No. 28/2020 and 46/2020 due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and revokes Resolution No. 55/2021. On June 30, 2021, the Federal Official Gazette published Resolution No. 76, by means of which the National Mining Agency (“ANM”) amends Resolutions No ...
In this article first published by The Federation of European Independent Financial Advisers, Jacqueline Moore, Head of Immigration, explains a time-limited opportunity for certain family members of British citizens to utilise a route known as “Surinder Singh”. Prior to Brexit, European free movement allowed British citizens to live and work in the EU without restrictions ...
In our third quarterly case law update for 2021, we look at some of the key cases published since April 2021 and consider the lessons we can learn from them. Health and Safety Related Dismissals Over the past six months, we have seen the emergence of a series of cases related to health and safety dismissals. Unsurprisingly, several of these relate to Covid-19 ...
When Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA) adopted permanent rules related to COVID-19 back in May 2021, it did so with the caveat that it would repeal the rules once it determined that they were no longer necessary to address the pandemic. As of June 30, 2021, Oregon OSHA has formally removed the facial covering and physical distancing requirements for most workplaces under Oregon OSHA’s jurisdiction ...
In our previous article we set out what kind of information needs to be disclosed for it to qualify as a protected disclosure. Here we look at another key requirement, that the person making the disclosure reasonably believes it is in the public interest. What is (or is not) in the ‘public interest’ is not defined in legislation, and subsequently it can be difficult to determine ...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has revised its Rules of Practice and Procedure (Revised RPP) which govern the proceedings before the ERC through the issuance of ERC Resolution No. 01, Series of 2021.1 The Revised RPP took effect on April 13, 2021 (or 15 days after its publication in Business Mirror, a newspaper of general circulation). It allows the ERC to adapt to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and modernizes the ERC rules of procedure ...
Litigation between the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) may be nearing an end (The Associated General Contractors of America, Inc. vs. United States Small Business Administration, et al.,United States District Court for the District of Columbia). AGC initially filed a lawsuit against SBA in December 2020, challenging the introductions of Form 3509 and Form 3510 (Loan Necessity Questionnaires) in October 2020 ...
With the third wave of COVID-19 in full swing in South Africa, it has never been more important for South African employers to anticipate and prepare for the various COVID-19 related disputes that may lie ahead. It is vital to learn from the challenges already confronted by employers worldwide concerning issues such as vaccination, occupational health and safety, and flexible working arrangements and their approaches to such matters ...
Starting around October 26, 2020, the Small Business Administrations (the “SBA”) asked Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) lenders to provide certain questionnaires to PPP borrowers with loans of $2 million or greater. There are two questionnaire forms on the Treasury: Form 3509 for for-profit borrowers and Form 3510 for non-profit borrowers ...
In a case concerning the validity and effect of certain deeds relating to pension increases, the High Court has handed down its judgement. The case also considers the application of scheme forfeiture clauses to arrears of underpayments. The case, concerning the Axminster pension scheme (‘Scheme’), was brought by the Scheme’s independent trustee. Many of the original issues were compromised by the parties, meaning that the court was asked to approve the compromise ...
Employers who are faced with employee requests for accommodation on the basis of family status may find that the response to such requests depends on the province of employment ...
Deadlines loom, as changes to rules on the rights of EEA and Swiss citizens to live and work in the UK are fast approaching. With many developments to keep apace of, we have highlighted the key dates and points which employers need to mark in the diary. 1 ...
