Join us for Part 3 of our webinar series on the USMCA, as we approach entry-into-force of the agreement on July 1, 2020. In this webinar, “USMCA: Labor Rules and Trade Remedies,” Baker McKenzie experts from the United States, Mexico and Canada will discuss how to prepare for enforcement under the Rapid Response
With special thanks to our Australian colleagues Michael Michalandos and Carmel Foley for this post.
This briefing contains a summary of everything an employer in Australian needs to know about the operation of the award system.
We have prepared this briefing because there has been a high incidence of employers in the information technology industry failing to have regard to the application of modern awards in their workforce or misunderstanding how these awards operate. In particular, many employers have issued employment contracts which do not identify the applicable award and do not contain provisions which comply with the award.
This may result in a potentially serious compliance issue which could cost the business a significant amount of money in terms of back-payments, penalties, and potential reputational damage.
Modern awards (or, simply, “awards”) are industrial instruments created by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) that set and regulate minimum terms and conditions of employment for certain employees in Australia. Currently, there are 122 awards and almost all businesses in Australia will employ award-covered employees. Awards operate in a similar way to legislation and their application can only be circumvented in very limited circumstances.
Awards generally fall into one of two categories: “industry awards” or “occupational awards.” Some awards apply on both an industry and occupational basis, for example the Professional Employees Award 2010 (Professional Employees Award) which, for example, covers engineers on an occupational basis but also covers employers operating in the “information technology industry” (as defined) on an industry basis.
Continue Reading A Quick & Timely Guide to the Australian Award System
This guide covers 19 jurisdictions across Europe, Middle East and Africa and covers the latest country updates from the last couple of days, including employer obligations following school closures around the region.
(With thanks to Barbara Klementz for this post.)
Why hire through a PEO?
When companies start expanding internationally, it is often important to “put boots on the ground” as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. The traditional approach of establishing a local entity and employing employees through the local entity may not always work due to the cost and time involved in setting up and maintaining the local entity and local payroll, as well as the complexity of establishing and administering supplementary benefits.
We are pleased to share a recent SHRM article, “Prepare for Talks with Canadian Employment Insurance Officers,” with insight from our Toronto colleague Claire-Marie Colantuoni. This article discusses how and why HR professionals and employers in Canada need to navigate the country’s employment insurance (EL) program after terminating employees.
Click here to view the
Ian Goldin, Oxford University Professor and Director of the Oxford Martin Programme, discusses with Baker McKenzie’s Guenther Heckelmann how companies can adapt to rapid globalization and thrive in the age of discovery.
Watch the 5-minute video HERE.
In inspirational news, the UN’s work and labor agency, the International Labor Organization or ILO, adopted a “Violence and Harassment Convention” and “Violence and Harassment Recommendation” at the Centenary International Labor Conference in Geneva last month.
Continue Reading UN’s ILO Adopts Groundbreaking Convention On Workplace Harassment
This article was originally published on Law360.com
Developed countries across the globe are increasingly adopting and augmenting paid family leave laws, seeing such laws as a “win-win” for both employers and employees. For employees, paid family leave laws allow new parents to bond with and care for their children in the stressful and crucial initial
We are delighted to announce that Law360 today named Baker McKenzie the No. 1 Global Law Firm for 2019, a ranking of the top 20 law firms with the greatest global reach and expertise. During the last year, we have outperformed our competition in the size, breadth and complexity of significant global and cross-broader
[With special thanks to our summer associate Lennox Mark for his contribution to this post.]
Since 2000, June has been LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States. “Pride” as it has come to be known started as a way to commemorate the Stonewall riots that occurred at the end of June in 1969. It has since morphed into a month-long celebration of inclusiveness and remembrance of the struggles faced by members of this community. Many other countries and cities around the world honor and celebrate the LGBTQ community at different times throughout the year.
As we look back at the events of the last month and in honor of continuing the conversation around US Pride, we review some of the recent strides made for equality and other potentially impactful legal developments for the LGBTQ community, including those that US and OUS employers should know about.
