The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”), in the case of Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v McDonagh, has had to consider what the “appropriate date” is for the purposes of employees claiming arrears of salary and holiday pay from the National Insurance Fund, in circumstances where a voluntary insolvency procedure is followed by a compulsory insolvency procedure ...
On 13 June 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its unanimous decision in the ongoing case of Association for Molecular Pathology et al v Myriad Genetics, Inc. et al 12-398, 569 US __ (2013). This case is the first brought in the US directly challenging the patentability of human genes and for that reason is extremely important to any entity involved in the biotechnology industry which relies on human genetics research as part of innovation strategy ...
Expulsion due to ADHD was unwarranted. The Supreme Court held in its judgment of 13 June 2013. The case concerned a paralegal who was expelled from a fixed-term contract after four days of work on the grounds that she had failed to inform the employer that she was suffering from ADHD that her special needs would place too great a burden on her colleagues and the Office clients demanded great spontaneity, flexibility and tolerance ...
A bill on the legal status of temporary agency workers in connection with stationing by an employment agency etc. has been adopted, and the act will thus become reality effective as of 1 July 2013. The act has implemented the Temporary Agency Workers Directive which serves to protect temporary agency workers and improve the quality of the work of temporary agency workers by introducing a principle of equal treatment between termporary agency workers and the user companies' own employees ...
In the recent case of PPG Holdings BV, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that employers with defined benefit pension schemes established as separate legal entities can reclaim VAT charged on administration and investment management services provided to the scheme in certain circumstances. PPG had a DB scheme established as a separate legal entity ...
Effective July 31, 2013 the Federal Government announced new rules relating to the temporary foreign worker program. It has advised that the changes are being made to ensure that Canadians are given the first chance at available jobs. The changes include the following: 1. Employers must now pay a processing fee for a Labour Market Opinion (“LMO”) of $275 for each position requested. This is estimated to cover the cost of the LMO ...
One way to change the law fast is to amend or repeal statutes in budget legislation. That is what the federal government of Canadadid in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Federal programs, staff positions and budgets for environmental science, conservation and protection have been eliminated. That leaves a lot of responsibility with the provinces and territories, and many open questions for industry. This article describes what has happened and identifies what to look out for ...
Third party insurers are not entitled to enforce an insured’s defense, indemnification or insurance rights in a master services agreement (“MSA”) according to a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in an opinion issued on July 5. See Duval v. Northern Assurance Company of America, __ F.3d __, 2013 WL 3367483 (5th Cir. July 5, 2013) ...
Not for the first time the fashion industry is under fire for its recruitment policies. Could requiring staff to have a certain 'look' be the next form of discrimination? It was reported last week that Abercrombie & Fitch, the US clothing retailer is being investigated by the French human rights watchdog over claims that it hires only good-looking staff ...
The pre-hiring process is a key step to the viability of the employer‑employee relationship. Both the employer and the applicant must not underestimate the importance of this process which establishes the basis of their contractual relationship ...
From today, 29 July 2013, the following provisions will come into force under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act: • Renaming of compromise agreements as "settlement agreements". This change will be accompanied by new rules on pre-termination negotiations, which are to be finalised later this year ...
The Supreme Court of Canada recently rendered a divided decision in which it concluded that an employer’s policy imposing mandatory random alcohol testing was not justified.1 This decision is of interest to employers in Quebec since it confirms arbitral case law on the subject. Background In 2006, Irving Pulp & Paper, Ltd. (“Irving” or the “employer”) unilaterally adopted a policy on the consumption of alcohol and other drugs (the “policy”) ...
Through Government Regulation No. 33 of 2013 on The Expansion of Employment Opportunities, the Government intends to push the central and regional governments to create more employment opportunities. Employment expansion policies may apply in or out of the employment relationship ...
In the last few years, many multinationals are implementing in their organizations so-called “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies. What is “BYOD”? It is a new trend in the management of technological infrastructure within companies where employees bring their own devices to the workplace, thereby reducing the number of devices that companies have to provide to employees, with the consequent reduction in costs ...
Batas Kasambahay Implementing Rules The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 10361, otherwise known as the “Domestic Workers Act” or “Batas Kasambahay” dated 09 May 2013 was published in full in the 19 May 2013 issue of the Philippine Star at pages B-14 to B-16 ...
On July 3, 2013, the Department of Labor issued its Semiannual Agenda of Regulations. Executive Order 12866 requires the semiannual publication of the listing of all regulations the Department of Labor expects to have under active consideration for promulgation, proposal or review during the coming one-year period. Here are some of the highlights regarding OSHA’s agenda. A ...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) has announced a new National Emphasis Program (“NEP”) to protect workers from the health effects from occupational exposure to isocyanates. With the addition of this program, OSHA has thirteen (13) currently active NEPs, including programs on PSM Covered Chemical Facilities, Lead, Nursing and Residential Care Facilities, and Primary Metals Industries ...
In 2012, more than 99,000 charges of discrimination were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Of these charges, 31,208 of them alleged retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”). On June 24, 2013, the United States Supreme Court issued two much-anticipated employment law rulings, both of which are beneficial to employers confronted with these charges ...
In Vance, the Supreme Court announced a narrow standard for determining which employees constitute "supervisors" for purposes of establishing vicarious liability under Title VII. In a 5-4 decision, the Court decided that a supervisor is a person authorized to take "tangible employment actions," such as hiring, firing, promoting, demoting or reassigning employees to significantly different responsibilities ...
Many employers are wary of hiring applicants with criminal records because they fear exposing themselves to potential negligent hiring or negligent supervision claims, but they also have concerns imposed by the EEOC’s aggressive interpretation of Title VII that a blanket rule against hiring persons with criminal convictions is a violation of the law ...
On Friday June 14, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada released its eagerly-awaited decision, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 v. Irving Pulp & Paper, Ltd., 2013 SCC 34, a case concerning random alcohol testing at a paper mill operation in Saint John, New Brunswick ...
In 2012, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) set the business community atwitter when an administrative law judge in American Red Cross decided that an at-will disclaimer in an employee handbook violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by being overly broad ...
America’s high school and college students will soon be finishing another school year, and employers across the country are gearing up to welcome many of these young adults as interns for the summer. Interns are staples in many organizations and often provide valuable benefit to a business. As employers strive to keep costs down, including that of labor, many use unpaid summer help where possible ...
On February 25, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its final rule (the Final Rule) setting forth standards for health insurance issuers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Affordable Care Act). Specifically, the Final Rule outlines exchange and issuer standards related to coverage of essential health benefits, minimum value and actuarial value ...
