Réglementaire Belgium: people undergoing infertility treatment now protected from dismissal National legislation On 25 March, the US Department of State published a new National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct, after a first released in 2021.…
Réglementaire EU: platform workers directive gets green light from Parliament European legislation At its plenary session on 24 April, the European Parliament approved the draft directive creating a presumption of salaried status for workers on digital platforms, who are deemed falsely self-employed because they are subject to supervision. The text also sets out the first standards for algorithmic management.
Réglementaire EU: Parliament definitively adopts Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive European legislation On 24 April, at the end of a long legislative process, the European Parliament definitively adopted the draft directive on due diligence. Although the last-minute efforts of some member states, under pressure from lobbies, have weakened the text, its advocates nonetheless describe this as a historic step forward in regulating the globalisation of value chains.
Réglementaire United States: end of non-compete clauses National legislation On 23 April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a new final rule banning non-compete clauses nationwide.…
Réglementaire EU: Parliament adopts regulation banning products made with forced labour European legislation On 23 April, the European Parliament broadly approved the regulation banning the import of products produced using forced labour. The text gives new investigative powers to the European Commission,…
Réglementaire Czech Republic: bill tabled to increase the ‘flexibility’ of labour relations National legislation Czech labour minister Marian Jurečka has submitted to the chamber of deputies a series of amendments aimed at making the labour code "more flexible". The draft text makes it easier to take parental leave of less than two years, increases the length of probation periods and reduces the notice period for dismissal in the event of employee misconduct. It also proposes salary payments in euros or another currency from next year.
Réglementaire Netherlands: Senate votes against minimum wage increase above regular indexation National legislation In January, the government announced an additional statutory minimum wage increase of 1.2% with effect from 1 July 2024,…
Chile: gradual transition to 40-hour week National legislation From 26 April 2024, companies will have to adhere to the “40-hour law”. The working week will be reduced from 45 hours at present to 44 hours,…
Réglementaire Netherlands: compensation paid to companies hiring older employees to be scrapped National legislation A bill to phase out so-called “labour costs compensation” (Loonkostenvoordelen, LKV) was approved by the Dutch Senate on 16 April.…
EU: declaration to strengthen Social Europe gets almost unanimous backing European legislation At a high-level conference organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, on April 16 in La Hulpe, the Commission, member states and the social partners pledged to continue work on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The event saw the parties set out a work programme for the next mandate. However, in the wake of the difficulties that marred recent European texts on social topics, BusinessEurope did not sign the declaration.