The UKCS is the largest decommissioning market in the North Sea. There are around 475 fixed facilities, over 10,000 kilometres of pipeline and approximately 5,000 wells. These will all need to be decommissioned over the next 30 years, when they reach the end of their economic life, at an estimated cost of £59.7 billion ...
Recent amendments to Mauritius’ Employment Rights Act (“ERA”) have brought about regulation into an area of employment law that many foreign jurisdictions have struggled to deal with: the gig economy, which has so far been characterised by short term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent contracts and the accompanying benefits ...
In Australia, we're seeing enormous opportunities and some policy challenges in renewable energy ...
Striking is a fundamental right enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution. However, section 36 of the Constitution accepts that a fundamental right can be limited. Sections 64 and 65 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (the “LRA”) contain these limitations for strikes. Section 64 requires certain procedures to be followed prior to a strike taking place for it to be “protected” ...
Feeling the heat: the draft Climate Change Bill, 2018 Earlier this year, the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs (the “Minister”) published the draft Climate Change Bill, 2018 for public comment. Since then, the Department of Environmental Affairs (“DEA”) has undertaken a road show across the country to solicit comments to the Bill and held further bilateral meetings with stakeholders earlier this year ...
Is the singing of offensive songs a dismissible offence? The South African Constitutional Court recently handed down judgment inDuncanmec Proprietary Limited v Gaylard N.O & Othersin which it considered whether the singing of struggle songs, containing words that could be construed as offensive, warranted dismissal ...
Towards the end of 2018, the South African Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe (the “Minister”), published the Broad-Based Socio-Economic Empowerment Charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry, 2018 (the “2018 Mining Charter”). It is indicated that “implementation guidelines” are to be published in the near future. What follows is a summary of a few of the salient features of the 2018 Mining Charter ...
The decriminalisation of private cannabis possession and use and the workplace In the recent decision in the consolidated matter ofMinister of Justice and Constitutional Development and Others v Prince; National Director of Public Prosecutions and Others v Rubin; National Director of Public Prosecutions and Others v Acton and Others(the “cannabis judgment”), the Constitutional Court considered whether it should confirm the decision of the High Court which declared various pr
The New Rwandan Labour Code: a mixed bag of pro-employer and pro-employee changes Effective from 6 September 2018, Rwanda’s New Labour Code (law n° 66/2018 of 30/08/2018 regulating labour in Rwanda) repealedlaw n° 13/2009 of 27/05/2009 regulating labour in Rwanda(the “Repealed Labour Code”), which has been in force for over nine years. This article gives an overview of the key changes introduced by the New Labour Code ...
Due to recent federal regulation, employers must follow new disclosure procedures before performing background checks. Effective September 21, 2018, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued updated model disclosure forms mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The new forms may be accessed here. The last time the CFPB provided a model disclosure form for use by employers performing background checks was 2012 ...
On 1 January 2020, the maximum allowable sulfur content of marine fuels will be drastically reduced from the current 3.50% to 0.5% m/m. 2020 is rapidly approaching, but is the shipping industry really prepared? In this article, we provide an overview of the regulations and the main alternatives for compliance that shipowners and operators are faced with. Introduction On 1 January 2020, the maximum allowable sulfur content of marine fuels will be drastically reduced from the current 3.50% to 0 ...
A key quality for a successful attorney, leader of an organization, claims professional or human resource professional requires effective negotiation skills to resolve conflict and disputes. Negotiating over 1,000 such disputes as an attorney and mediator has been a tremendous education on how to successfully resolve disputes and conflict ...
Scotland is currently home to one of the largest life science clusters in Europe, with more than 700 organisations based here employing some 37,000 people. With 15 universities producing highly skilled graduates; the NHS as a massive single source of patient data; and world leading research centres in life sciences, Scotland attracts some of the brightest international scientists and life science businesses ...
Not-for-profit Reforesting Scotland’s "Thousand Huts" campaign has spearheaded the regrowth of the hutting community, previously almost entirely eradicated by increasingly strict building regulations. The new Building (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 sets out the framework for ecologically sustainable hut development. What is a Hut? A hut must be a single storey building used as recreational accommodation ...
The California Court of Appeal recently upheld a lower court decision that, as we previously discussed, expanded the scope of the "public trust doctrine" to include groundwater. In Environmental Law Foundation v. State Water Resources Control Board, the appellate court held that agencies permitting groundwater pumping must consider how pumping may harm "public trust interests ...
In a case closely monitored by the hospitality industry, the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of servers and bartenders who alleged their employers were improperly claiming employees’ tips as a credit toward the federal minimum wage.Marsh v. J. Alexander’s LLC, No. 15-15791 (9th Cir. Sept. 18, 2018). The en banc court reversed a prior panel decision and rejected the employer’s arguments that the regulations in question were not entitled to judicial deference ...
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has today published its report1 on immigration reform. As the MAC itself acknowledges, there will be “winners” and “losers” in any policy for immigration reform.On an initial reading of the report, it would appear the reforms proposed, while impacting all sectors, would be most challenging for those sectors employing a low-skilled workforce ...
In EEOC v. BNSF Ry. Co., Case No. 16-35457 (9th Cir. Aug. 29, 2018), the Ninth Circuit held that an employer violates the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA") by demanding that a job applicant with a perceived disability pay the cost of medical testing prior to being deemed eligible for employment. The employer offered an applicant a job as a Senior Patrol Officer on the condition that he satisfactorily complete a medical review ...
In Malatji v Minister of Home Affairs and Another, the South African Labour Appeal Court (“LAC”) had to determine when mora interest (interest accrued on overdue payment) should begin running. In circumstances where the Labour Court had ordered the substitution of an arbitration award granting retrospective reinstatement with an order for the payment of compensation, but had made no provision for the timing of interest ...
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also affects the working relationship between the employer and the works council. Among other things, it affects the use of works agreements as legal basis, the (possible) responsibility of the works council under data protection law, as well as the controlling authority of the company data protection officer over the works council. WORKS AGREEMENT AS INFORMATION PURSUANT TO ART ...
Restrictive covenants seek to limit the ability of employees, typically senior ones, to work or carry out certain actions for a specific period after their employment is terminated. They are notoriously difficult to enforce because a court’s starting point is that they are an unenforceable restraint of trade, unless they are shown to be necessary to protect the employer’s business ...
A Manitoban plaintiff has filed a class action lawsuit against the homegrown delivery service company, Skip the Dishes, reviving the debate over whether contractors for online services are truly independent contractors or are actually employees entitled to protection under employment standards legislation. Skip the Dishes operates an Uber-style online service that connects restaurants and hungry customers by facilitating food delivery through its website and mobile apps ...
North Carolina has enacted a law intended to help employers catch up to the employment demands of a growing economy, while offering some individuals a second chance at earning a living. On June 25, 2018, Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 774 (“H.B. 774”), which will take effect on December 1, 2018. H ...
