By Nicola Martin and Kate Staude, McCabe Curwood
In Australia, there has been increased scrutiny by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), the regulator, on employer underpayment of wages or “wage theft”, as it is commonly known. George Calombaris of MasterChef fame, Heston Blumenthal, Subway, and supermarket giant, Woolworths, are just a few big names which have been associated with significant and systemic underpayment of staff. The underpayments total at least AUD 500 million.
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By Jeffrey Percival and Kate Bresner, Pallett Valo LLP
The US concept of “at-will employment”, which allows for termination of employment for any reason without notice (so long as it is not for an illegal purpose), does not exist in Canada. In Canada, reasonable notice of termination is an implied term in all employment agreements. In order to terminate an employment relationship without cause, an employer must provide appropriate notice or pay in lieu.
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By Conor Lupton, O’Flynn Exhams LLP
For many years Ireland has been an attractive location to establish a business/form a company and a large amount of foreign direct investment has taken place. Businesses such as Apple, Dell, Pfizer, and GSK have operated in Ireland for quite some time. In recent years there has been a further wave of companies establishing bases in Ireland such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook. Over 1,000 multinationals have made Ireland the hub of their European operations.
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By Maria Tassou, Pallett Valo LLP
In a recent decision, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ordered an employer to pay CAD 55,000 in compensation to its former employee plus CAD 2,904 for lost wages due to an improper workplace investigation. The Tribunal described the conduct of the workplace investigator as egregious and insensitive, resulting in a lack of respect and loss of dignity to the employee.
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By Susie Cirilli, Offt Kurman
On 27 December 2020, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was passed by Congress on 21 December 2020. This Act has major implications, as it allows certain US employers to allow the federal paid leave to expire on 31 December 2020.
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By Eran Soroker and Nour Abo Foul, Soroker Agmon Nordman | IP & beyond
One of Boris Johnson’s first actions as UK Prime Minister, following his landslide victory on 12 December 2019, was to pass the resolution approving Britain’s dramatic move – Brexit. The consequences of the withdrawal are unfamiliar, yet there is no doubt that Brexit will lay its effect on the economy, labour market, public services, and law. Changes regarding intellectual property, specifically trademarks and designs, will come into place.
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By Roman Makarov, Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners
The 2020 crisis is characterised by a dramatic fall in both supply and demand. This has resulted in our customers looking to lower their costs drastically. Clients are looking to optimise their personnel. At the same time, anti-crisis legislation banned the dismissal of people in Russia last spring. We advise the following:
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By Nicola Martin and Liliana Freeman, McCabe Curwood
After some months of remote working during the pandemic, many employees in Australia have started their transition back to the workplace. This is presenting challenges for employers as they navigate balancing healthand- safety obligations, maintaining productivity, and preserving morale.
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Małgorzata Motyl, Penteris
“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” (George Patton)
Business Continuity Management (BCM) focuses on ensuring business continuity in the company management system. It is a comprehensive approach to organisational resilience enabling organisations to update, control, and deploy effective plans, accounting for organisational contingencies and capabilities, as well as business needs.
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By D. Beth Langley, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
On 15 June 2020, the United States Supreme Court in a 6–3 decision issued a landmark ruling, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that, by its plain language, prohibits discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and intersex (LGBTQ) individuals. The ruling comes out of the hearing of three separate cases by the Supreme Court on 08 October 2019. Each case started similarly:
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