Application of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (the "OHASA")? Several health and safety obligations (both general and specific) towards employees are imposed on an employer or user in respect of the "workplace". The term "workplace" is also defined broadly in the OHASA as "any premises or place where a person performs work in the course of his employment" ...
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted lives and continues to wreak havoc on the global economy, has seen a sudden and dramatic shift in the way we live. Previously, uncommon concepts and practices such as social distancing, lockdown, quarantine and self-isolation have now rapidly become part of our daily parlance. Unsurprisingly, in view of the swift rise of death rates associated with the pandemic, many people are being reminded of their own mortality ...
Like many other countries worldwide, South Africa went into a 21-day national lockdown on 27 March, in an effort to help slow down the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The lockdown has already had a devastating impact on the economy and on employment in a country that was already in recession. This has already been felt by many in their pockets ...
Given the fact that many countries are under some form of lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, organisations that are able to do so, are now working remotely, with video conferencing platforms enabling people to have virtual meetings just like they were face to face. However, there are growing privacy concerns over the use of these platforms, with some in the spotlight for sharing data with Facebook ...
A strike, and employees’ actions during a strike, will almost inevitably cause an employer losses. In terms of South African common law, an employer may have a delictual remedy at its disposal. It can, in certain circumstances, sue the union or its members for the losses suffered ...
The Competition Commission of Mauritius (“CCM”) has issued acommuniquéon 9 April 2020 stating that it understands that: enterprises may have to collaborate during these uncertain times in order to ensure provision of essential products and services; certain prohibitions as contained under the Competition Act 2007 (the “Act”) may create uncertainty as to what may be permissible in terms of collaboration in the context of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) ...
The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the incidental measures adopted by the Mauritian government represent serious potential impact for financial institutions in general. Below, we examine the recourses available to borrowers facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic and its aftermath. We consider only credit facilities, that is, agreements by which financial institutions advance money to their clients for repayment either in instalments or at term ...
In response to efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Ministry of Health published regulations providing for the closure of various places including bars, schools and institutions of higher learning, bars, cinema halls, shopping malls, arcades, hardware shops, all shops and stores selling non- food items, salons, gymnasiums, massage parlours, hotels and lodging houses, motor repair workshops and garages, with a few exceptions ...
The recent Constitutional Court judgment inNational Director of Public Prosecutions v Botha N.O. and Anotherconsidered the issue of whether a proportionality analysis is required for the forfeiture of unlawful proceeds in terms of section 50(1)(b) of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, 1998 (“POCA”) ...
Spread of coronavirus infection made companies to change their daily practices in order to ensure continuous business operation without compromising individuals’ safety. In this newsletter, we elaborate on the most sensitive legal issues in terms of data protection, privacy and cybersecurity ...
1. Force Majeure - Meaning. The term ‘force majeure’ translates literally from French assuperior force. It is also generally defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as ‘an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled’ ...
Due to the current lockdown, companies were not able to hold shareholders meetings and pass resolutions on certain matters requiring urgent attention/approval of the shareholders. With a view to facilitate such companies, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a recent circular no. 14 of 2020on April 8, 2020 permittingcompanies to convenetheirExtraordinary General Meetings (EGM)s through video conferencing or other audio-visual means ...
With the UAE in virtual lockdown and the majority of businesses required to operate remotely, an increasing number of documents are required to be signed electronically. Although electronic signatures were not commonly used prior to the onset of COVID-19 in the UAE, the legal framework for the use of electronic signatures has been in place for quite some time ...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is devoting significant resources to combat deceptive COVID-19 advertising in a range of industries as consumer complaints to the FTC pick up steam. Companies are shifting marketing spend to cover COVID-19 messaging and should be mindful of the FTC’s increased scrutiny. Through April 9, 2020, the FTC has received 15,006 consumer complaints relating to COVID-19 advertising and business activities ...
In this Informative Guide you will find important information about the following: tourist stays, visas and residence permits, work permits, traveling, and mobility inside the country including curfews, circulation permits (Salvoconductos), and driver’s licenses. Tourist stays Panamanian authorities have informed that tourist who have expired stays from 13 March 2020, as a consequence of the Covid-19, will not be fined. And they will be able to circulate ...
Following the announcement of economic measures aimed towards responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Serbian Government issued two regulations on 10 April 2020 that determine the conditions and criteria for compliance of the state aid (i) for remedying the negative effects caused byCOVID-19 and (ii) for remedying a serious disturbance in the economy caused byCOVID-19, whereas both regulations will be valid until 1 July 2021 ...
By means of the Decree 531, 2020 issued by the Ministry of the Interior under the economic, social and ecological emergency, the national government extended the current mandatory preventive isolation from April 13 at 00:00 hours until April 27 at 00:00 hours to continue the mitigation process of the sanitary emergency caused by the Covid-19. Pursuant to this Decree, the free circulation of individuals is restricted in the entire country ...
