Many charities occupy property, whether as offices, shops or for other charitable purposes from hospices to food banks ...
On December 13th, 2023, the Chilean Congress approved a bill that modifies the Labor Code regarding prevention, investigations and sanctioning of sexual harassment, workplace harassment and violence in the workplace (hereinafter, the “Law”). Companies subject to the new regulations The Law is applicable to all companies, regardless of their size. The Law also includes regulations applicable to the State Administration and its multiple agencies ...
Changes to Stamp Duty, LTT & EPTT in Jersey Increase to the first-time buyer threshold The Law provides a welcome amendment to first time buyer stamp duty rates (and equivalent land taxes such as land transactions tax (LTT) in respect of share transfer properties and enveloped property transactions tax (EPTT)), with the maximum purchase price threshold for first-time buyers increasing from £500,000 to £700,000 ...
The Home Office have released a Statement of Changes which includes changes to be made to the rules for visitors coming to the UK, particularly in relation to their permitted activities. On 7 December 2023, the Home Office released Statement of Changes HC 246 with various changes to the Immigration Rules to be implemented prior to the end of January 2024 ...
In an increasingly unpredictable climate, adverse weather can prevent employees from attending the workplace on time, or at all. Here, we discuss what employers can do to mitigate the effect of adverse weather on their business ...
Article 319(1) of the UAE Civil Procedure Law authorises an execution judge to imprison a debtor who fails to satisfy a judgment debt, unless the debtor is able to prove that he is insolvent. Although the text of Article 319(1) places the burden of proving insolvency on the judgment debtor, this appears to have been reversed following a decision of the General Assembly of the Dubai Court of Cassation issued in October 2023 ...
A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE (AMENDMENT) ACT 2023 INTRODUCTION The Evidence Act (Amendment) Act 2023 (the Amended Act) was signed into Law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the 12th day of June 2023. The Amended Act was aimed at amending the provisions of the Evidence Act 2011 (the Principal Act) to be in conformity with global technological advancements in evidence taking and its applicability covers all judicial proceedings before Courts in Nigeria ...
The government has produced draft regulations which will make further changes to holiday laws in Great Britain. We look at what is planned and what it means for employers. The government has been reviewing which European Union laws to retain and has taken that opportunity to consult about changes to holiday pay, resulting in the publication of draft regulations. We look at what is planned and what it means for employers ...
It is highly documented that the transport sector is heavily male dominated. Indeed, reports suggest that while women account for 47% of the general UK workforce, within the transport sector women only account for 20% of the workforce and only 3% of HGV drivers in the UK. Many employers are aware of the work that needs to be done in this sector in terms of addressing and challenging behaviours, changing mindsets and creating inclusive cultures ...
Over the last three years, the U.S. Department of Justice has pursued its first-ever criminal antitrust cases targeting alleged deals between companies to avoid poaching each other's employees and to fix wages. In total, the DOJ has brought six cases. Four resulted in acquittals, while just one case yielded guilty pleas. Last month, the DOJ voluntarily dismissed its sixth and last case without explanation. A number of lessons can be drawn from this wave of labor-market prosecutions ...
The timing of challenges to an expert witness’s evidence has been considered in the Supreme Court case of Tui Ltd v Griffiths [2023] UKSC 48, with judgment handed down on 29 November 2023. Although the case emanated from a holiday claim in the County Court, this Supreme Court decision is of significance to all cases where parties seek to rely on evidence from experts or witnesses of fact ...
This article explores the reasons why sickness absence and mental health issues may rise among employees during the festive period and what employers can do to support their employees during this time. Christmas is traditionally an exciting time of year, but the colder weather and shorter nights can cause lower mood for a lot of people. When feeling low, people can also be more susceptible to illness, picking up unwanted coughs and colds which leaves them feeling even lower ...
The UAE’s arbitration landscape continues to evolve and, as 2023 draws to a close, we summarise some of the more significant judgments issued by the UAE on-shore Courts in relation to arbitration this year. While the trend of the judgments reinforces the ‘arbitration-friendly’ approach of the UAE Courts of late, 2023 has not been without its outlier cases ...
SyCipLaw's Tax Department has prepared an international edition of its Tax Issues and Practical Solutions (T.I.P.S.) for the third quarter of 2023. Please read the full texthereor via thislink. The SyCipLaw T.I.P.S - International Edition covers the following tax issues: 1 ...
Winter can be a hectic time of year, with stress levels heightened by frantic planning for the festive season and employers may be overwhelmed by annual leave requests. How can employers keep employees happy while balancing the needs of the workplace? Annual leave requests Most employees are likely to request time off during the winter months to spend time with family and friends, especially where this aligns with school holiday periods, religious festivals and national bank holidays ...
The new Home Secretary, James Cleverly, announced a five-point plan aimed at reducing the recently announced record high net-migration figures. The planned changes will have a big impact on many employers’ ability to sponsor workers from overseas. The changes will be brought into force in the Spring, although an exact date has yet to be confirmed. The Government estimate that these changes will reduce net migration by 300,000 (based on estimations of new entrants to the UK last year) ...
The Environment Agency has been found in breach of the Regulators’ Code by failing to provide a proper appeal mechanism for challenging Compliance Assessment Reports. It must now decide how to provide permit holders with a new appeal mechanism ...
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 (“Act”) was enacted to encourage private employers in Haryana to boost local employment. The Act was called upon for application from January 15, 2022, for a period of 10 years. The constitutionality of the Act was challenged in multiple writ petitions before the Punjab & Haryana High Court (“Court”). The Court stayed the implementation of the Act on February 3, 2022 ...
The much-anticipated judgment in the Court of Appeal case of Churchill v Merthr Tydfil County Borough Council [2023] EWCA Civ 1416 has now been handed down. The case concerns a claimant that alleges the Council allowed Japanese knotweed to spread from its land onto the claimant’s private property ...
A judgment has been handed down in the Supreme Court case of Wolverhampton City Council and others v London Gypsies and Travellers and others [2023] UKSC 47. The case considered whether the court had the jurisdiction to make injunctions against not only ‘persons unknown’, but also against unidentified and unknown persons that have not yet performed, or even threatened to perform, the acts which the injunction prohibits. Such persons are known as “newcomers” ...
What is a JPUT? A Jersey Property Unit Trust (JPUT) is a legal structure whereby legal ownership of assets (primarily non-Jersey real estate) is vested in one or more trustees who hold the assets on trust for the benefit of unitholders upon the terms of a written trust instrument. What are the benefits of a JPUT? JPUTs have many plus points: Familiarity: JPUTs are generally recognised and accepted by investors, lenders, advisers, regulators and tax authorities in the UK and elsewhere ...
