This week (the week from Monday 16th November 2020 until the 20th November 2020) is anti-bullying week – a week meant to raise awareness against prejudice and bullying not only in schools but also at the workplace and cyber-bullying. Maltese employment law does not deal directly with bullying but with harassment, and this in connection with discriminatory treatment or with sexual harassment ...
The Bureau of Cannabis Control recently published two new fact sheets on its website as a resource for industry stakeholders, licensees, and the general public. The facts sheet help everyone better understand the different responsibilities of the cannabis distributor (Type 11) and the cannabis distributor transport only (Type 13) licensee by providing a list of required procedures and guidelines for various distribution activities ...
To raise sustainability practices and disclosures of listed issuers, Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad has enhanced the sustainability reporting requirements in the Main Market Listing Requirements and the ACE Market Listing Requirements which was announced on 26 September 2022. Click here to read more. Feel free to contact our partner Lai Zhen Pik or associate Ng Kar Mun for any questions about this article or Corporate/M&A matters ...
On 10 March 2022, the Cabinet Office published the long-awaited draft Terms of Reference for the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.1 In this article we consider the implications for businesses impacted by the pandemic and how they may wish to get involved in the Terms’ finalisation. Terms of Reference are critical to a public inquiry as they define its scope and purpose ...
There is a growing consensus among business stakeholders and society at large that mere compliance with legal rules is not enough tolive up to the requirements of business integrity. Moreover, legal rules often use vague concepts and ethics are also useful to give concrete expression to the required practices ...
For many HR professionals the responsibility for ensuring that their organisation can continue to employ migrant workers falls squarely at their door. This can prove daunting, especially for those with little or no business-immigration experience ...
Many governmental authorities across the country have ordered “nonessential” businesses to shut down because of the COVID-19 crisis. Many business owners are asking what that means for the business income losses that they are forced to endure and whether insurance will cover those losses. Most property insurance policies that offer business interruption coverage provide some form of “civil authority” coverage ...
Introduction 1. Background of the Foreign Investment Law and Regulations. Consistent with NAFTA, Mexico enacted a Foreign Investment Law (FIL), effective March 20, 1998, which abolishes restrictions of foreign investment in most areas. The Regulations of the FIL, effective on September, 1998, were also enacted to provide legal certainty to foreign investors. 2. General Rule: 100% of Foreign Investment Participation ...
The Scottish Parliament has set out a concrete timetable for business rates to be cut in Scotland to the level of those in England by April 2007 in a bid to boost competitiveness. Finance Minister, Tom McCabe, confirmed the timetable for this equalisation in a statement to the Scottish Parliament on 6 October 2005, outlining plans to stagger its implementation. It is proposed the reduction occurs over a two-year period ...
One of the innovations introduced by the Companies Act, 71 of 2008 (“Companies Act”) is the mechanism of business rescue proceedings in South Africa. In particular, chapter 6 of the Companies Act was inserted to “provide for the efficient rescue and recovery of financially distressed companies, in a manner that balances the rights and interests of all relevant stakeholders” (see section 7(k)) ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series. The opening webinar, ‘Business Transition to a Net Zero and Resilient World’ took place on Thursday, 1 July 2021 during London Climate Action Week. The webinar saw government representatives, experts and business leaders discuss their vision of a net zero, climate resilient world, and the actions they are taking to get there ...
The current Administration continues to be active in the area of immigration law and policy, and has promulgated several Executive Orders (“EO”), mostly directed to immigration enforcement and national and public security. The exception is the April 2017 Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, which extends to and impacts professional work visas ...
The landmark CARES Act provides many Alabama employers with several options to increase liquidity and cash flow during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. And only nine days before that legislation was enacted, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) also created two other payroll tax-related incentives for certain employers, and self-employed individuals ...
A lot hinged on the answer to the following question for thousands of businesses and organisations across the UK. When is equipment used at work not work equipment for the purposes of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998? It was put before the House of Lords at a hearing on 4 February 2009, exactly one year after the same question was considered by the Court of Appeal ...
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law March 27, 2020, provides $2 trillion in relief funds for individuals and businesses, including $500 billion in direct aid for large companies and more than $300 billion for small companies. Businesses applying for and receiving funds under the CARES Act should be mindful of risks associated with stringent government oversight and inevitable investigations targeting waste, fraud, and abuse ...
On October 3, 2018, the IRS issued guidance for employers on how to claim tax deductions for business meals this year. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ("TCJA") business expenses for "entertainment" are no longer deductible, effective for 2018. However, the TCJA did not modify the separate 50% deduction for expenses for business meals, which left employers wondering how to distinguish a business meal from entertainment ...
As the financial services sector has developed and adopted technology, there has been a significant growth in Deferred Payment Credit, more commonly referred to as ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (“BNPL”) by consumers. Demonstrating the scale of growth, news outlets have recently reported that over £10 billion has been lent to consumers by BNPL companies in the last three years ...
The decision will be relevant for parties seeking to bring claims in the BVI courts where there are competing jurisdictions and systems of law at play. Funders and ATE insurers will also find the decision of interest where they are considering the merits of funding cross-border claims involving BVI defendants. A copy of the judgment is available here. Background WWRT had commenced proceedings in the BVI against Carosan, a BVI company, and BK, a Ukrainian businessman ...
On 31 July 2023, significant changes to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Civil Procedure Rules ("ECSC CPR") will come into effect. Arguably the most significant changes for parties to litigation in the BVI Commercial Court are the amendments to ECSC Part 7, governing service of proceedings out of the jurisdiction ...
1 - What employment issues must companies consider in deciding whether to switch to the BYOD model? If companies are considering switching to the BYOD model, it can be worth considering implementing a clear IT policy regulating which devices the employee is allowed to bring and how to use them with the company's IT system ...
Key Point Employers must immediately change the manner in which they calculate and pay employee meal period and rest break premiums if they pay those premiums using an employee’s regular hourly rate in any workweek that an employee receives additional non-discretionary earnings. Introduction On July 15, 2021, in Ferra v ...
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 ...
On July 7, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) formally promulgated the Measures for Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfers (the “Assessment Measures”), which specify and implement the provisions on data export in accordance with Article 37 of the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “CSL”), Article 31 of the Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “DSL”), and Article
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is scheduled to meet on May 20, 2021 to review proposed revisions to the Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) on COVID-19 Safety in the workplace that were originally adopted in November, 2020. The rules are expected to be readopted with the revisions and sent on to the Office of Administrative Law for an abbreviated five-day public notice and comment period as an emergency action before taking effect ...
