Three bills introducing additional paid leave for parents whose babies require neonatal care, the expansion of redundancy protections, and carer’s leave received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023. While the carer’s leave and the expanded redundancy protection provisions entered into effect on 6 April 2024, the neonatal leave is expected to come into force in April 2025.
Ius Laboris conducted a survey of EU and non-EU countries to understand how key jurisdictions grant rights and protections to caregivers in the workplace. In the landmark 2008 Coleman case, the European Court of Justice expanded EU anti-discrimination protections to include caregivers. Today, national legislation and case law (in the EU and elsewhere) grant varying protections to caregivers in the workplace.
Law No. 4 of 2024 on Maternal and Child Welfare in the First 1,000 Days of Life Phase (the “Law”), which aims at reducing the country’s stunting rate by improving the welfare of mothers and their children, entered effect on 2 July 2024.
With the rise of technology, work from home has been a steadily growing trend for many years. Remote working has exploded since Spring 2020 with quarantines, workplace closures, and lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least for jobs and industries that do not always require workers to be on-site.
This abrupt, worldwide shift to remote work has sparked new logistical and structural legal challenges that have warranted many countries to pass teleworking legislation, some of which are summarized in this article.
New teleworking legislation varies widely across countries. While some countries introduced their first teleworking general legal framework, other countries passed more detailed measures. This article will only cover permanent teleworking legislation that has entered into effect since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Temporary COVID-19 related measures, as well as proposed legislation not yet passed as of the publication of this article will not be addressed.
The government of Saudi Arabia recently approved amendments to Saudi Labor Law which include expanding bereavement leave entitlements and increasing maternity leave, among others.
In March 2019, Oman’s government introduced compulsory health insurance (known as the Unified Health Insurance Policy or “Dhamani”) for private sector employees and visitors.
To finalize the implementation process of the mandate, Oman’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), formerly known as the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), has implemented a new electronic platform for the administration of health care insurance services.
On 12 February 2024, the Australian Federal Parliament passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No. 2) Bill 2023, which introduces, among other changes, a right for all employees to disconnect outside of working hours.
The right to disconnect will enter into effect 6 months after the legislation receives royal assent (expected soon) for businesses with at least 15 employees and 18 months after royal assent for businesses with fewer than 15 employees.
To reduce the tax complexity faced by individuals whose registered pension savings or life insurance benefits reached the Lifetime Allowance (LTA), the United Kingdom has eliminated the LTA and introduced two other allowances with more favorable tax treatment for those who exceed them. The Finance (No.2) Act 2023 removed the Lifetime Allowance charge with effect from 6 April 2023, and the subsequent Finance Act 2024 removed the Lifetime Allowance in its entirety but introduced the Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA) and the Lump Sum Allowance (LSA).
In light of the ongoing war, the Israeli government passed legislation expanding reservists’ employment protections and introducing employment protections against dismissal and discrimination for the spouses of reservists.
The new amendment is effective immediately. While most provisions apply through 31 December 2024, others apply until December 2025. The new changes may be extended further or expanded depending on the progression of the events in the region.
The Belgium government passed legislation introducing employment protections against dismissal and discrimination for male and female employees undergoing infertility treatment or engaged in medically assisted reproduction (MAR).
Amendments to the Labor Act of 16 March 1971 and the Gender Act of 10 May 2007 entered into effect on 28 April 2024.