Dans la décision, Romeo et Antoine Laoun inc., 2019 QCTAT 2887, rendue par le Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT), la juge administrative, Susan Heap, devait décider du bien-fondé d’une plainte de pratique illégale découlant du licenciement d’une employée enceinte. La juge en profite pour faire un rappel très pertinent des facteurs pris
July 2019
Le droit à la déconnexion est-il mort dans l’œuf?
Le droit à la déconnexion fait couler beaucoup d’encre au Québec. Et pour cause : au-delà du (très médiatisé et défunt) Projet de loi n°1097 : Loi sur le droit à la déconnexion, nombre d’auteurs tirent la sonnette d’alarme quant aux risques liés à l’actuelle surconnexion des employés. Chose certaine : face à la montée…
Managing German labour migration: The new “Skilled Immigration Act”
The German Bundesrat recently approved a long-awaited and controversially debated immigration legislation, implementing several European directives dating back more than ten years. The “Skilled Immigration Act (“Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz”) intends to attract qualified professionals from around the world. Further, the Act aims to improve labour market efficiency, prevent skill shortages and offset regional imbalances in…
Plafonnement des dommages intérêts en cas de licenciement injustifié : la rébellion se poursuit
La Cour de cassation vient de déclarer conforme aux engagements internationaux de la France, le « barème Macron » qui plafonne les indemnités attribuées par un juge en cas de licenciement sans cause réelle et sérieuse.
Avant l’entrée en vigueur du « barème Macron », en cas de licenciement sans cause réelle et sérieuse ,…
Home Office update to guidance for companies with sponsor licences.
The Home Office has published an unexpected update in relation to the Tier 2 and 5 Guidance for Sponsors.
Where an employee wishes to enter the UK as a skilled worker (Tier 2) or temporary worker or under the youth mobility scheme (Tier 5), they will need to be “sponsored” before they can apply to…
Why sacking senior executives is a risky business
Since the enactment of the ‘adverse action’ provisions under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) some 10 years ago, it is far more difficult for an employer to lawfully dismiss an executive or senior manager. Why? Because adverse action claims:
- are relatively easy to bring;
- can include compensation for hurt, distress and humiliation (and damages are uncapped);
- can be difficult to successfully defend (due largely to a reverse onus of proof); and
- expose the employer to considerable financial, legal and reputational risks – even when there was a good reason to remove the executive and the terms of the employment contract were complied with.
It is therefore not surprising that the number of senior, and highly paid, individuals commencing adverse action claims to challenge their dismissal is continuing to trend upwards. So, what are adverse action claims and how can an employer protect itself against these risks?
Lack of Effective Cannabis Impairment Testing – What is an Employer to Do?
In a recent decision from Newfoundland and Labrador, the court upheld an arbitrator’s decision that an employer had the right to refuse to employ an employee because of cannabis use.
The employee had 30 years of service as a labourer on construction projects in the province. He had worked on a hydro project that involved…
In its first decision on restrictive covenants in more than a century, the UK Supreme Court upholds a 6-month non-compete covenant adopting the more liberal approach to the rules of severance
In the case of Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32, the Supreme Court has upheld a 6-month non-compete covenant, adopting the more liberal approach to the rules of severance.
The Court ruled that on its proper construction, the covenant was unreasonably wide in that it restrained the employee from holding a minority shareholding…
Projet de réforme des lois en matière de santé et de sécurité au travail : employeurs, restez à l’affût!
En juin dernier, le ministre du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, M. Jean Boulet, a annoncé son intention de faire reconnaître certaines maladies psychologiques à titre de véritables maladies professionnelles. En entrevue au journal Le Soleil, M. Boulet annonçait les couleurs de la réforme qu’il souhaite mener afin de moderniser les lois…
Marie Boland’s Review of the Work Health and Safety Laws, Part 3: Safe Work Australia‘s Consultation Regulation Impact Statement
On 24 June 2019, Safe Work Australia released a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) seeking feedback on the possible impacts of implementing the recommendations of the Marie Boland independent review of the model Work Health and Safety Laws final report (Report).
In February this year, Marie Boland (former Executive Director of SafeWork SA) delivered the Report which found the model WHS laws (the laws) are working as intended although further clarity was required to enhance the application of the laws across jurisdictions. As a result, the Report contained 34 recommendations for reform, some of which we have discussed in our previous article.
The Consultation RIS covers all 34 Report recommendations. However, Safe Work Australia has expressed interest in gathering feedback on 12 recommendations that have “more than a minor impact” on stakeholders, or that require further information and analysis including:
- introducing regulations dealing with psychological health;
- clarifying workplace entry of HSR assistants and WHS entry permit holders;
- providing HSRs with choice of training course;
- providing a process for resolving disputes about WHS issues;
- including gross negligence as an element of the Category 1 offence; and
- introducing an industrial manslaughter offence.