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On 14 September, the European Parliament approved a Directive introducing the principle of a minimum wage in the European Union. What does it say, and will it herald a new era for collective bargaining? Summary On 14 September 2022, the European Parliament voted to approve a Directive on adequate minimum wages in the EU, with 505 votes in favour, 92 against and 44 abstentions. The…
A court in Israel has ruled that a company was entitled to turn down an employee’s request to work remotely. In a ruling recently issued by the Tel Aviv District Labour Court in the case of the Middle East Pipeline Company, the district court discussed a claim lodged by an employee, who worked as a payroll accountant, that her employer discriminated against her in comparison…
Europe is facing a cost-of-living crisis with spiralling food and fuel costs, in part as a result of the Ukraine war. In France, the minimum wage has been increased and a major package of measures designed to help employees deal with rising costs was published on 17 August 2022. Minimum wage On 1 August 2022, the French minimum wage (the salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance,…
The dramatic expansion of the gig economy, turbo-charged during the pandemic, continues across the world. However there is still no global consensus on the status of digital platform workers and how they should be treated. The deadline for EU member states to implement the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive fell on August 2022. The Directive includes various provisions, including a right to request…
Tackling the climate emergency should be high on everyone’s agenda. But should employers give greater weight to the environment when deciding whether to say yes or no to an employee’s request to do their job remotely? One of the legacies of the COViD-19 pandemic is that remote working has become normal. Workers in the so-called knowledge economy are now commonly working remotely on a hybrid…
Employers in the Netherlands may soon be required to balance their own and employees’ interests when evaluating a request to work from another place within the EU. But does this mean employees could work from anywhere they want? On 5 July 2022, a proposal for a ‘Work Where You Want’ Act was adopted by the Dutch House of Representatives. The proposal was subjected to a…
Belgium has expanded its Anti-Discrimination Act to cover individuals’ ‘state of health’, which means their past medical history is now covered. Belgium has prohibited discrimination based on an individual’s ‘current or future state of health’ since 2007. On 7 July 2022, a bill was passed which broadens this. The concept of ‘current or future state of health’ is replaced by ‘state of health’, meaning that an…
The fundamental shift in working patterns and preferences created by COVID-19 has led to law and policy changes across the world. Across the world, the closure of offices during the pandemic accelerated the expansion and popularity of remote working, making this arrangement an overnight reality for millions. As it becomes clear that working patterns and preferences have changed for good, many jurisdictions have or are…
A persistent high youth unemployment rate around the world is threatening economic growth and putting at risk the well-being of young people aged 15 – 24. The global youth unemployment rate is expected to reach 14.4% in 2023, around 3.4 times the rate for older adults. Amongst the factors triggering youth unemployment, the skills mismatch is a crucial element. We believe it is in the…
The results of a Ius Laboris survey show that environmental, social and governance KPIs are becoming an increasingly common part of incentive schemes across the world. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are a key way to measure organisations’ commitment to sustainability. There is a long road ahead to build an ESG-compliant corporate world, but creating a working environment that is as close as possible…