Tag archives: employee benefits

UK Pensions: DB Funding Statement 2020: NRF survey gives the Pensions Regulator a thumbs-up

Photo of Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in UK
DB Funding Statement 2020: NRF survey gives the Pensions Regulator a thumbs-up Sophy Lelliott, a trainee in our pensions team writes: the UK Pensions Regulator published its annual funding statement later than usual on 30 April 2020. The Statement is aimed at trustees and sponsoring employers of defined benefit (DB) schemes with valuation dates between … Continue reading

UK Pensions: Regulator’s annual DB funding statement urges collaboration to meet COVID-19 challenges

Photo of Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in UK
  On April 30, 2020, the Pensions Regulator published its 2020 funding statement for defined benefit (DB) schemes with valuation dates between September 22, 2019, and September 21, 2020. However, these COVID-19 times are challenging for all businesses, and the effects of the pandemic are relevant to all DB schemes. The statement urges collaboration between … Continue reading

UK Pensions: Regulator’s warning that member transfer requests during the pandemic may be a poor decision

Photo of Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in UK
UK Pensions: Regulator’s warning that member transfer requests during the pandemic may be a poor decision Adding to its already impressive haul of Covid-19 related publications to date, on 29 April 2020, the Pensions Regulator published further trustee guidance Communicating with members when they request a transfer or to access benefits. Pension scheme members seeking a … Continue reading

UK set to introduce ‘world first’ right to two weeks’ parental bereavement leave

Photo of Joanna MacKenzieBy Joanna MacKenzie on Posted in Contracts, General, UK, Uncategorized
The UK Government has announced that a new right to two weeks’ parental bereavement will come into force from 6 April 2020. The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations (which have been laid before Parliament and are awaiting final approval) implement a statutory right to a minimum of two weeks unpaid leave for all employed … Continue reading

UK Pensions – is the current annual allowance limit unfair and unworkable?

Photo of Lesley HarroldPhoto of Lesley BrowningBy Lesley Harrold and Lesley Browning on Posted in UK
UK Pensions – is the current annual allowance limit unfair and unworkable?  The Revenue has been forced, finally, to face up to the fact that the annual allowance changes in relation to pensions contributions which attract tax relief, and which were brought into force in April 2016, are unfair and unworkable. The Treasury announced on … Continue reading

UK Pensions: Regulator ramps up “green” investment guidance for revised SIPs

Photo of Lesley HarroldBy Lesley Harrold on Posted in General, UK
New guidance from the Pensions Regulator reflects recent legislative changes requiring trustees of occupational pension schemes to set out their policies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues which may influence their investment decisions. The new law From 1 October 2019, changes apply governing the way pension schemes prepare and revise their investment disclosure documents, including … Continue reading

Loi Pacte : Que faut-il en attendre dans les relations employeurs / salariés ?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France, General
La loi « Pacte » (Loi relative à la croissance et la transformation des entreprises) a été adoptée en lecture définitive par l’Assemblée Nationale le 11 avril dernier, après de longs mois de débats devant l’Assemblée Nationale et le Sénat. Elle a fait l’objet d’un recours devant le Conseil Constitutionnel, saisi le 16 avril dernier. Les commentaires … Continue reading

What happens a firm’s internal regulations following a TUPE transfer ?

Photo of Marie-Thérèse EugénioBy Marie-Thérèse Eugénio on Posted in Europe, France
Under French employment law, the application of TUPE regulations triggers specific consequences not only with regard to an employee’s employment contract, which is transferred automatically by operation of law, but also on the employees’ collective status. In this respect, a recent decision of the French Supreme Court has specified what happens to a company’s internal … Continue reading

Singapore: “Watershed” Amendments to Employment Legislation

Photo of Mathias GohBy Mathias Goh on Posted in Asia Pacific, Singapore
Singapore’s employment laws are set to undergo watershed changes come April 2019. In summary, a greater number of employees – in particular, professionals, managers and executives (“PMEs”) – will soon be able to avail themselves of the statutory protections contained in Singapore’s Employment Act, the key employment legislation in Singapore. The single most significant legislative … Continue reading

Issues of employment status: pseudo self-employment and hidden personnel leasing in Germany

Global Workplace InsiderBy Pia Popp on Posted in Europe, Germany
German labour law follows the “all or nothing” principle: Labour law regulations presume an existing employment relationship between employer and employee. If no such relationship exists, protective labour law regulations cannot be applied (with a few exceptions e.g. in the case of managing directors of a “GmbH” (limited company)). Assessing whether an employment relationship exists … Continue reading

New York City expansion of sick time law to cover “safe time” goes into effect on May 5, 2018; action required for New York City employers

Photo of Rachel Kurth (US)Photo of David Gallai (US)By Rachel Kurth (US) and David Gallai (US) on Posted in North America, United States
New York City has recently adopted amendments to the New York City sick time law.  These amendments, which go into effect on May 5, 2018, will require action by New York City employers. Background on New York City’s sick time law Since April 1, 2014, all New York City employers have been required to provide … Continue reading

Recent developments in French employment law regarding financial institutions: How the French Government wants to enhance Paris’ attractiveness as a global financial place

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
Apart from certain provisions which may be tailored to the relevant situations negotiated by companies or sectors of business through collective agreements (subject to compliance with a number of basic rules and principles), French employment law does not include any specificities in relation to certain sectors of business. In particular, financial institutions are subject to … Continue reading

Bill C-44 coming into force

Photo of Ryan FreemanBy Ryan Freeman on Posted in Canada, North America
The Governor General in Council has announced that the sweeping changes to the Canada Labour Code (the “CLC”), which affects federally regulated employees will come into force on December 3, 2017.  The coming into force completes the amendments that were announced in Bill C-44, the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1, after it received Royal … Continue reading

Significant changes to French employment code to enter into force no later than January 1st, 2018

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
French President Emmanuel Macron has signed five ordinances making important changes to several aspects of the French employment code. The ordinances, which were immediately published in the French Official Journal on September 23rd, 2017, are aimed in particular at providing employers more flexibility and predictability in labour-management relations. Several provisions of this ambitious reform – … Continue reading

Butt out! (ergonomically speaking): British Columbia Court of Appeal outlines management and union rights in employee accommodations

Photo of Andrew SchaferBy Andrew Schafer on Posted in Canada, Discrimination and harassment
On February 28, 2017 the British Columbia Court of Appeal issued a decision that should be welcomed by unionized employers dealing with accommodating employees.  In Telus Communications Inc. v. Telecommunications Workers’ Union, 2017 BCCA 100 the issue was whether the employer was able to deal directly with its unionized employees when attempting to accommodate those … Continue reading

Federal Government’s 2017 Budget Proposes Changes to Maternity and Parental Leave

Photo of Gabriel GranatsteinBy Gabriel Granatstein on Posted in Canada
The Liberal Government’s 2017 federal budget (“Budget 2017”) proposes changes that affect maternity and parental leaves and associated Employment Insurance (“EI”) benefits. Currently, EI combined parental and maternity benefits are available at the benefit rate of 55 per cent over a period of up to 12 months. Budget 2017 proposes that this option continue to … Continue reading

Key employment law developments expected in 2017

Photo of Jannis BreitschwerdtBy Jannis Breitschwerdt on Posted in Contracts, General, Germany
A significant amount of new employment legislation is expected or is already in place for 2017. Key changes will be in the hiring of temporary workers through an agency (referred to as “personnel leasing” in Germany), employee protection and equal treatment. Reform of laws regarding personnel leasing One of the main developments in 2017 will … Continue reading

Key French employment law developments in 2017

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in France
As 2017 is a Presidential election year in France, we do not expect major changes in employment legislation to occur in France in the near future.  However, this does not mean that French employment lawyers will be unoccupied. First and foremost, the El Khomri law (dated 8 August 2016), which significantly modified the employment law … Continue reading

What rights and protections are there for part-time workers?

Photo of Stefanie RadinaBy Stefanie Radina on Posted in Contracts, Europe, Germany
This post was also contributed by Dimitri Schaff, Trainee, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP (Munich). Currently, about one quarter of all employment relationships in Germany are based on part-time models, the proportion of part-time to full-time employees having increased by about 12 per cent since 2001. Furthermore, as a result of the implementation of the EU Part-time Workers … Continue reading
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