Following the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers ("DMW") pursuant to Republic Act No. 11641, or the Department of Migrant Workers Act ("RA 11641"), the Department of Labor and Employment ("DOLE") and the DMW issuedJoint Circular No. 01, series of 2022 (the "Joint Circular"),on July 7, 2022, to facilitate and ensure the efficient and effective implementation of RA 11641 ...
In a unanimous decision rendered on June 22nd , the Supreme Court of Canada confirms the principles previously established by the Court of Appeal: Quebec’s Automobile Insurance Act1 (“Act”) must be given a large and liberal interpretation. In this case, the Court confirms that the mere use of a vehicle as a means of transportation will be sufficient for the Act to apply even if the vehicle is not the cause of the accident ...
A Data Protection Impact Assessment (“DPIA”) is a process which helps employers to identify, analyse and minimise the data protection risks of a project. But when should employers be using a DPIA and what makes a DPIA effective? When should employers be using a DPIA? The Data Protection Act 2018 (the Act) states that a DPIA must be implemented before any processing is undertaken which is “likely to result in a high risk” to individuals ...
The decision in National Education Health & Allied Workers Union on behalf of Sinxo & others and Agricultural Research Council is important primarily for two reasons. Firstly, it deals with when an employee can claim that he or she has been discriminated against on an arbitrary ground as envisaged in section 6(1) of the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (the “EEA”) ...
Although like in most EU countries, there is no specific regulation in France on social media, judges have recently answered very clearly to this question: it depends on the privacy settings made by the employee!French judges make a clear distinction between (i) social media postings that remain private (i.e ...
To avoid a complicated and lengthy disciplinary proceeding, employers might consider a mutual separation agreement, to terminate an employee’s employment and pay them a sum of money. In the case of Balsdon v Valley Macadamias Group (Pty) Ltd, the Labour Court had to decide whether it could make a mutual separation agreement a court order in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) ...
With the onset of COVID-19, certain areas of academic and government-fueled research are exploding. However, universities and governments at all levels are also scaling down nonessential research tasks and limiting the enrollment of essential new human subjects or new animal experiments.[1] Similarly, private companies may be suspending or cancelling their research projects in an attempt to conserve financial resources and accommodate researchers working from home ...
In Reed v. Exel Logistics, Inc., No. 17-0864, 2018 WL 2769041 (W. Va. June 6, 2018), the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia clarified the circumstances necessary for an employer to claim overpayment of temporary total disability ("TTD") benefits. The question arose after an employer's claims examiner paid a claimant for an additional 156 days past the 104-week limit ...
You know what it’s like – you have a cushy job, you’re earning well, you’re travelling the world. Yet, you’re still not happy. The head honcho stubbornly refuses to retire, the designated successor clearly isn’t right for the job, and you have this somewhat awkward relationship with the next-in-line ...
We look at the latest events concerning the dispute between the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and the Cabinet Office over the former Prime Minister’s WhatsApp messages and diaries ...
Economists predict that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will lead to retrenchments on an unprecedented scale on the back of an already weak economy. It is likely that unions, when confronted with proposals to retrench, will approach the consultation process envisaged in section 189 and section 189A of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) with more rigour. Section 189A(13) Of importance in this regard is section 189A(13) of the LRA ...
On May 14, 2004, the Superior Court rendered judgment in Landry vs. L’Union Vie, Compagnie mutuelle d’assurance1 and allowed the action of the Plaintiff, Ms. Lucie Landry, in which she claimed $50,000 in insurance proceeds following the death of her brother on October 26, 2000, pursuant to a life insurance policy issued by Union Life on July 28, 2000. The case is currently under appeal. The Facts On July 28, 2000, Union Life Mutual Assurance Co ...
Employers often seek to rely on legitimate interests when processing employee personal data. But many do not realise that this should involve completion of a legitimate interests assessment. We consider what is involved in carrying out such assessments. What the law says The UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 regulate the way in which employers process personal data ...
The COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic era saw an increase in the number of employees working from home. For employers, this raises questions of liability for injuries that occur while employees are working from home. Specifically, when does workers’ compensation coverage or deliberate intent coverage apply? A New York appellate court recently discussed the applicability of workers’ compensation coverage in a work-from-home scenario. Matter of Capraro v. Matrix Absence Mgt ...
Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes are frequently required to pay fines (called “civil money penalties” or “CMPs”) to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) when government surveyors find them out of compliance with the Requirements for Participation for Long-Term Care Facilities. It is not uncommon for CMS to assess CMPs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars ...
Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council The following chart attempts to summarize some of the types of group health plans and which of the HIPAA privacy notice and administrative requirements apply to the plan. No one should rely on this as legal advice. In every situation, the application of the rules requires careful analysis of one's own counsel who is familiar with your particular situation ...
Insurance companies ensure uncertain risks of individuals that may arise in the future and cover such risks with the premiums of the insured community. Once the risk has already occurred or is about to occur immediately and one does not have taken out insurance already, it is not possible to get insurance cover anymore ...
The President recently signed into law the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (S. 2258) (116th Cong. (2020)), which amends the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004. It grants stronger protections to employees who come forward with claims of antitrust violations. Specifically, the law prohibits employers from discharge, demotion, or suspension, as well as any discrimination against any employee who assists in a government antitrust investigation ...
In the final instalment in our series of articles looking at whistleblowing claims, we look at types of whistleblowing claims and their potential remedy at an employment tribunal. Previously we looked at what amounts to a protected disclosure, how clear and effective policies in place helps employers to handle protected disclosures and the handling of complaints confidentially and/or anonymously ...
Legal Business World Once seen as an overreach, Directive (EU) 2019/1937 may soon become the new global standard of worker protections. At the end of 2021, a significant transformation swept through the European Union (EU) corporate landscape with the emergence of the Directive (EU) 2019/1937 or the “Whistleblowing Directive.” The groundbreaking legislation was a clarion call for change by ensuring minimum standards of protection for whistleblowers across the EU ...
In our fourth article on whistleblowing claims we focus on the need, in sensitive situations where concerns of serious (and perhaps even criminal) wrongdoing are raised, for the complaint to be dealt with confidentially and/or anonymously where possible ...
This is the first in a mini-series of articles setting out how whistleblowing claims can be (and are being) pursued in the Employment Tribunal during the pandemic. This first article discusses the concept of a 'protected disclosure'. Whistleblowing is not always as dramatic or headline-grabbing as this, and disclosure can often be made on a more day-to-day level ...
In our previous article we set out what kind of information needs to be disclosed for it to qualify as a protected disclosure. Here we look at another key requirement, that the person making the disclosure reasonably believes it is in the public interest. What is (or is not) in the ‘public interest’ is not defined in legislation, and subsequently it can be difficult to determine ...
The Origin & Cause In 2010, a California jury returned a $671 million verdict in a class action alleging "violation of the rights of residents" under the California Health and Safety Code[1] arising from alleged understaffing at senior care facilities. Before the jury determined whether to award punitive damages, the Lavender, et. al. v.Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc.[2]lawsuit settled ...
