Electronic Travel Authorisation: How we can help

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme contains mandatory refusal grounds triggered by criminal convictions and other factors. Refusal can have significant implications for both applicants and organisations and so legal advice may be required. We take a look at these complex ETA cases below, and set out how the alliance can assist with our UK law firm’s new ETA service. The UK’s ETA scheme…

Summer is nearly upon us: is your holiday plan ready?

Summer is nearly here and so it is important for employers in Norway to start planning for their team’s holiday, if they haven’t already. It can be costly for employers if employees do not take their statutory holiday entitlement. We explore the details below. Holiday planning and management The clear starting point according to the Norwegian Holiday Act (the ‘Act’) is that the employer has…

The EU ‘stops the clock’ on the CSRD: what you need to know

On 16 April 2025, the so-called ‚Stop the Clock‘ Directive was published. It postpones the application dates of certain provisions contained in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (‚CSRD‘) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (‚CS3D‘). We explore the details below. The purpose of the Stop the Clock Directive is to make the implementation of EU regulatory obligations regarding environmental  and social sustainability more gradual and realistic, taking into account the operational needs and timeframes of companies for implementation. Member States must transpose the Directive by 31…

Can unions say ‘no’ to collective dismissals?

Collective dismissal, particularly the involvement of trade unions in the process, has long been controversial in Brazil. Following recent labour reforms and court decisions, the Supreme Court is set to rule again, with a new proposal addressing AI concerns potentially altering the framework further. We explore these key developments and compare insights from other countries on collective redundancies. When it comes to the involvement of…

Minimising the misuse of the duty to pay wages during appeals

India’s Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 (and its many amendments) seeks to secure social justice to workmen but are there ways in which it can be misused? We take a look at Section 17B and the duty to pay wages during appeals. Section 17B gives protection to workmen who have obtained an award from the Labour Court, Industrial Tribunal or National Tribunal that sets aside…

New data protection law comes into effect in Mexico

On 21 March 2025, the New Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data in Possession of Private Parties came into effect, superseding and repealing the prior data protection law. The new data protection law revises a number of definitions and makes several important changes to how the data protection rules will be administered and enforced. Below are some of the key modifications.  Consent requirements The new law mandates that consent for data processing…

Smart working and ‘short weeks’ are here to stay in Italy

Employees are increasingly seeking flexible or agile working arrangements, such as remote work (from home and overseas), hybrid models and flexible hours, to improve work-life balance. However, there is a growing tension between employee preferences and employer efforts to encourage a return to the office. We explore the current trends in Italy. According to the Osservatorio Smart Working of Politecnico di Milano (the ‘Osservatorio’), smart or agile…

‘Made in Canada’: Workforce considerations in times of tariffs

For businesses, the past several weeks have been amongst the most unpredictable in recent memory. The tariffs imposed by the United States have created new challenges and opportunities for companies across the globe. We take a look at the key legal considerations for employers in Canada as they weigh-up changes in their workforce to respond to an uncertain economic and business environment. On a sometimes-daily…

EU Pay Transparency Directive: Ireland joins the frontrunners

As the June 2026 deadline for the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive looms ever closer, Ireland has become the fourth EU member state to take steps towards transposing some of the requirements of the Directive. On 15 January 2025, the Irish Government published a General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 which includes two provisions aimed at enhancing transparency prior to…

Will the EU Directive on minimum wages be annulled?

On 14 January 2025, the Advocate General proposed that the European Court of Justice (the ‘CJEU’) annul the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages. The annulment of a directive is rare, with the outcome of the CJEU’s decision important not just for the status of the directive itself, but also the relationship between the EU and its member states. The Directive on adequate minimum wages…