The Code of Practice: Chief Executives’ and Board of Directors’ Workplace Safety and Health Duties will, when gazetted in October 2022, apply to all directors and equivalent officers involved in policy making and executive decisions for business affairs of companies in all industries, even for companies which have no manual work and little risk of physical injury.
The Minister for Education announced on 21 September 2022 that the government has directed the ACCC to commence an inquiry into the costs of childcare, and in particular why childcare costs have increased significantly in recent years (the announcement states the increase has been 41% in the past eight years). The announcement follows the government’s stated commitment to a comprehensive plan for cheaper childcare and addressing rising costs of living as announced during the Federal Election.
California recently enacted the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (“Act”) with the stated intention of requiring businesses to consider the best interests of minors under the age of 18 when designing, developing and providing online services. If your business currently offers online services that are likely to be accessed by minors in California, you should consider starting to prepare Data Protection Impact Assessments in accordance with the Act as soon as possible because the law will require covered businesses to undertake such assessments before offering these services to the public, and it will take time to address the risks identified by the assessments before the Act fully takes effect on 1 July 2024.
The Malaysian Government had, on 19 September 2022, launched the National Energy Policy 2022-2040 (“NEP”) with the following objectives:
• Enhancing macroeconomic resilience and energy security
• Achieving social equitability and affordability
• Ensuring environmental sustainability
In order to achieve these objectives, numerous action plans have been developed and laid out in the NEP and this client alert aims to provide an overview of the Low Carbon Aspiration 2040 initiative and highlight key action plans that would be of interest to all types of investors and companies intending to comply with environmental, social and governance requirements.
On 14 September 2022, the European Parliament voted to adopt its negotiating position on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive II. The Parliament agreed that its position should include a new headline target that 45% of all EU energy use would be sourced from renewable sources by 2030, and upward revised sectoral targets for buildings, transport and heating compared to the European Commission’s proposal.
There have been suggestions in the media that the EU ‘additionality’ requirements applied to the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as renewable hydrogen, have been effectively scrapped. This article clarifies the legal position in relation to the current status of the ‘additionality.’
In this recorded session from the Industrials, Manufacturing & Transportation Webinar Series, our speaker discusses the legal framework and practical issues related to customs audits in the United States, areas of importance for US customs authorities during audits, and how to effectively prepare for and navigate customs audits. We also share key US customs enforcement updates and priorities, to include the latest developments relating to forced labor laws.
This event will take place at the Zürich Marriott Hotel on 31 October 2022 from 1:30pm to 5:00pm. Please note that this event will be held in German only.
On 19 September 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal that would give the EU sweeping new powers to address shortages and supply chain disruptions of crisis-relevant and strategic goods and services in times of crisis. The proposed Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI) is the latest in a series of EU measures that will impact supply chains, including new proposals for rules on foreign subsidies, corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence, carbon taxes, deforestation, and, most recently, a proposal to prohibit products made with forced labor from the EU internal market. Once adopted, the SMEI will impose far-reaching obligations on EU firms.
The Constitutional Court in South Africa recently clarified the application of the doctrine of common purpose in the employment law context. The Constitutional Court answered the question as to whether an employer may apply the doctrine of common purpose to dismiss employees for misconduct where the employees were spectators to a violent assault during an unprotected strike. This decision has implications for employers who intend to dismiss employees for these reasons.
The government has announced its Growth Plan 2022. The key employment-related aspects are: the repeal of IR35 reforms introduced in 2017 and 2021; the removal of the bankers’ bonus cap; requirements for trade unions to put pay offers to a member vote and to maintain minimum service levels during strike action; reductions to income tax rates; an increase to the company share option plan limits. The government also reconfirmed plans to reverse a rise in National Insurance contributions and to scrap a planned health and social care levy.