Beginning last November, the Canadian government introduced legislation to amend the Canada Labour Code. The amendments are scheduled to come into force on 1 December 2022 and will entitle federally regulated private sector employees with up to 10 days of paid medical leave per calendar year.
The Australian government recently passed an amendment bill to provide employees with 10 days of employer-paid family and domestic violence leave. The Fair Work Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced on 28 July 2022, by the Australian Labor Party following the May 2022 federal election.
The Belgium government recently agreed on introducing a series of reforms aimed at boosting private sector employees’ work-life balance. The most notable changes include the option for employees to ask their employers for a four-day workweek as well as the right to disconnect. Once a draft bill outlining and explaining the new measures is introduced, it will enter into effect after it is passed by the Belgium parliament. This process will likely take months and may alter current provisions.
The Irish government recently passed the Sick Leave Act 2022 to provide all employees with up to 10 days of employer-paid sick leave. The Act enters into effect on 1 January 2023, and its implementation is phased over a four-year period from 2023 to 2026.