On 17 June 2020, the Occupational Retirement Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2019 (Bill) was passed at the Legislative Council. The Bill introduces amendments to the Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance (ORSO) with a view to preventing the misuse of schemes for purposes unrelated to employment and improving the governance of ORSO schemes ...
“At a time when the flow of information is always expanding, this app is a smart alternative for users to stay informed about these topics without a flood of emails.”(Jean-Marc Ueberecken, Managing Partner). The CoVid-19 crisis as a trigger Arendt Insights is the only app dedicated to Covid-19 crisis management in Luxembourg. The first version of the app has been designed to give insight from Arendt experts, using the Covid-19 Solutions platform ...
The controversial issue of whether employers can check their employees' temperatures has been much debated. Both the Employment Ministry and the Data Protection Authority (DPA) have recently changed their positions in this respect ...
Bogotá DC Mayor's Office is preparing a package of new measures for the city The Bogota City Hall has advanced a series of new measures in order to continue fighting the expansion of COVID-19. Particularly, the orange alert has been declared in the hospital system of Intensive Care Units, with which, the District Health Secretariat will give guidelines on patient care and will manage their referral to ICUs ...
As employers continue to implement and maintain the current health and safety guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, they should also be mindful not to forget their other safety obligations. On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued a News Release specifically reminding employers that workers need to be protected from both coronavirus and common workplace hazards ...
Analysis of the changes to the special legal rules onthe credit and financing moratorium. Through Decree-Law 26/2020 of 16 June (“DL 26/2020”), the Government has approved, a set of amendments to the special rules onthe moratorium on financing approved by Decree-Law 10-J/2020 of26March ...
Although the data for San Francisco Bay Area remains encouraging for the first quarter of 2020*, given the economic instability brought by COVID-19, we might see more down rounds going forward. Down rounds are financings where the company is valued less than in a previous round. In practical terms this means that the new investors are buying shares of the company at a lesser price than the previous investors ...
On 11 June 2020, the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2018 (Bill) was passed at the Legislative Council. The Bill introduced amendments to Hong Kong’s four anti-discrimination legislations, namely the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO), the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO), the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance (FSDO), and the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO) (Amendments) ...
Unexpectedly siding with the liberal wing of the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch penned a 6-3 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, holding that Title VII’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination also covers sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. The Court’s decision dealt a historic victory for proponents of expanding gay and trans protections for workers under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...
This 11th edition of Unprecedented, our weekly update on COVID-19-related litigation, identifies news reports placing the number of COVID-19 filings at around 2,700, with insurance coverage disputes former the single largest category. And so unsurprisingly, one of the matters we report this week is the dispute over whether those insurance coverage disputes should be consolidated into multi-district litigation ...
In a highly anticipated decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The opinion, released on June 15, 2020, was a consolidation of three federal appellate court decisions—Bostock v. Clayton County; Altitude Express v. Zarda; and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ...
Up until now, there has been no suspension of a notice period served upon an employee who has been made temporarily unemployed under the ‘corona’ regime. Such a notice period started during the corona temporary unemployment and continued to run during this period. Given, as a consequence, employers would be able to dismiss employees 'cheaply', a draft bill was submitted in Parliament to have the notice period suspended in the event of corona temporary unemployment ...
In a landmark decision issued today, the Supreme Court of the Unites States ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgender people. The case involved consolidated lawsuits filed by two gay persons fired due to their sexual orientation and a transgender woman fired after revealing plans to transition from male to female ...
Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 29 May 2020 regarding further changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, we now have more detailed guidance about how the new flexibility under the scheme will work from 1 July. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) Flexibility As we know, from 1 July 2020, employers will be able to bring furloughed workers back to work on a part time basis if appropriate while still being able to claim under the CJRS for hours not worked ...
1. Introduction Pursuant to Law no. 40 of 5 June 2020, published in the Official Gazzette no. 143 of 6 June 2020 (the “Conversion Law”), Law Decree no. 23 of 8 April 2020 (the “Liquidity Decree”) was converted into law with amendments. Below is a summary of the key amendments made to Chapter II (Urgent Provisions to Ensure Going Concern) by the Conversion Law. 2 ...
The General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR") came into force a little over two years ago, on 25 May 2018 and the first administrative fines were imposed in Finland in late May 2020. What is noteworthy is that in two out of the four decisions, the fines concerned violations of processing of personal data of employees and job applicants ...
In light of COVID-19 we review the steps a company’s board of directors may now take to adapt the process for approving year end accounts. Preparing and filing accounts are amongst the operational challenges facing companies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical difficulties include physically preparing the accounts and conduct of the audit, as well as the accounts approval process and subsequent sign-off by directors ...
With COVID-19 taking its toll on some businesses, employees may find themselves placed at risk of redundancy. This article looks at the practical steps an employer should take when carrying out an individual redundancy consultation. Individual consultation is fundamental to the fairness of any dismissal for redundancy ...
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan’s (SyCipLaw) publication about the general guidelines in doing business in the Philippines has been updated. It aims to showcase the Philippines as an attractive venue for business ventures, to guide the businessmen and lawyers alike in their business decision making, and to help investors restart the Philippine economy in connection with the lifting of certain COVID-19-related quarantine restrictions ...
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its resulting adverse effects on the income levels of Michigan residents, a package of bills (2020 SB 912 through 2020 SB 917) was introduced earlier this month to provide additional protections for residential tenants and owner-occupants during a declared state of emergency ...
On June 10, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released new guidance, in the form of frequently asked questions and answers, regarding the use of masks in the workplace.[1] The new guidance serves to help employers ensure employees know how to properly wear masks and which type of mask is appropriate. OSHA explains the difference between cloth face coverings, surgical masks, and respirators ...
The economic turmoil stemming from the outbreak of COVID-19 has forced small business owners to take drastic measures to save their companies. Unfortunately, government subsidized loans, loan deferrals, and temporary rent relief may not be enough to save all small businesses. Bankruptcy should never be the first choice for a business in financial distress, but it may be the best choice for all interested parties ...
On May 27, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a further extension of certain deadlines that were about to expire on May 31. The latest order provides until July 1, 2020 for certain actions delayed due to COVID-19. For small and micro entities only, filings that would have been accepted if filed by June 1, 2020, will now be deemed timely if filed by July 1, 2020 ...
