Netherlands: guide published to combat sexual harassment and violence in the workplace Quality of life at work Under the French labour code, an employee on leave for sickness unrelated to work does not accrue leave entitlement. On 8 February, the French constitutional council ruled that this provision complies with the constitution. It is a decision that contradicts European law, but has limited implication.
United States: whistleblowers soon to be handed rewards? Legal developments A new whistleblowing programme is currently being trialled on the other side of the Atlantic. Whistleblowers could soon be rewarded for exposing misconduct within companies and financial institutions.
Belgium: minimum wage to rise to €2,000 on 1 April National legislation The minimum wage in Belgium will be increased by €35.70 from 1 April, taking the level of pay from €1,994.18 to €2,029.88 gross per month.…
Réglementaire EU: employers air concerns to MEPs ahead of their review of the European Works Councils Directive European legislation Business Europe and five European sectoral employer federations wrote to MEPs on 22 March, asking them to water down the proposed revision of the European Works Council Directive,…
Réglementaire Netherlands: bill seeks to provide more security for precarious workers National legislation On 15 March, Dutch minister for social affairs and employment Karien Van Gennip sent a bill entitled “more security for precarious workers” to the Council of State for its opinion.…
Réglementaire Czech Republic: government approves a draft reform of the minimum wage National legislation The Czech government has passed a draft amendment setting out new rules for calculating the minimum wage. From now on, the wage level will no longer be decided by the executive, but will be regularly revised on the basis of a calculation established by law. The aim of the reform is to bring Czech law into line with the provisions of the European directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union. This change will have an impact on the guaranteed minimum wage, which will no longer apply in private companies.
Réglementaire Denmark: additional parental leave for parents of twins National legislation On 19 March, the Danish parliament unanimously adopted a bill amending the legislation on parental leave. The bill grants biological and adoptive parents of twins (or more) 26 weeks of additional paid leave (13 weeks for each parent).…
Réglementaire China: steps towards more paid leave and a right to disconnect National legislation Every year in March, the two main assemblies of the People's Republic of China hold their plenary sessions. Once again this year, from 4 to 11 March, this important event gave the Chinese government the opportunity to take stock and provide a glimpse of upcoming policy movements, particularly in relation to employment and working conditions.
EU: launch of an action plan to tackle labour shortages European legislation On 20 March, the Commission presented an action plan to combat the labour and skills shortages that have become more acute over the last ten years in the Member States.…
Réglementaire EU: Commission proposes a new regulatory framework for traineeships European legislation On 20 March, the European Commission presented two texts aimed at strengthening the framework for traineeships in the workplace. The aim is to combat unpaid traineeships, however, placements that are part of a university course, vocational training or are compulsory for access to a given profession are not affected.