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Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for April–May 2022

Mexico’s federal government will soon cease updating its COVID-19 pandemic monitoring system on a biweekly basis, Dr. Hugo López-Gatell, Mexico’s undersecretary of prevention and health promotion, said in a recent press conference. The announcement comes on the heels of the four-tiered system showing all thirty-two states in green status—the only status without restrictions on business and social activities—for the second period in a row.

Ontario’s ‘Disconnecting From Work’ Policy and Manitoba’s New Accessibility Requirements—Deadlines Approaching

Employers in Ontario and Manitoba have important compliance deadlines in May and June 2022.

Ontario Enacts Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022

On April 11, 2022, Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022, received Royal Assent in Ontario, thus enacting the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022.

Ruhul K. Ayazi London Author

United Kingdom Introduces Changes to Right-to-Work Scheme and Revamps Immigration Rules

Starting from 6 April 2022, Biometric Residence Card (BRC), Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), and Frontier Worker Permit (FWP) holders in the United Kingdom will evidence their right to work by using the Home Office online service.

Attention British Columbia Employers: Major ‘Union-Friendly’ Changes Coming

On April 6, 2022, the British Columbia government introduced legislation that would change the union certification process under British Columbia’s Labour Relations Code.

Stephen Shore Toronto Author

Shir Fulga Toronto Author

International Women’s Day 2022: German Employment Law Reforms Promoting Gender Equality

International Women’s Day, which draws attention to women’s rights and gender equality worldwide, has been celebrated since 1911. In order to counteract any inequalities that women may face in the workforce, the German government enacted a number of important employment laws and amendments in recent years.

Andre Appel Berlin Author

Constanze Keller Berlin Author

German Works Council Election Procedures: Changes to Upcoming Elections in 2022

On October 15, 2021, amendments to the Election Regulations for the Implementation of the Works Constitution Act (Wahlordnung or WO) went into effect. As a result, the changes in the Works Council Modernization Act (Betriebsrätemodernisierungsgesetz) of June 18, 2021, have been implemented in the Election Regulations.

Anja Becher Berlin Author

Andre Appel Berlin Author

German Employment Law: A Look at Important Changes for 2022

As usual, there are some important changes in German employment law that went into effect at the beginning of the new year. Here are eight of the most important new developments about which employers may want to be aware.

Anja Becher Berlin Author

Eva von Muellern Berlin Author

Andre Appel Berlin Author

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for March 21–April 3, 2022

For the first time since Mexico’s federal government rolled out its pandemic monitoring system in June 2020, all of the nation’s thirty-two states have been given the green light to conduct social and business activities without restriction, although face masks are still required while using public transportation.

Manitoba Employers’ Accessibility Standards: May 1 Deadline Looms

In December 2013, The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) became law, with the goal of making meaningful strides in accessibility by 2023. The AMA seeks to remove barriers to accessibility in the lives of all Manitobans.

Simon J. McMenemy London Author

The U.S. and EU Announce an “Agreement in Principle” to Replace the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework: What Employers Need to Know

On March 25, 2022, the European Union (EU) announced that the United States and the EU had reached an agreement in principle to replace the EU-U.S Privacy Shield framework, which the European Court of Justice (CJEU) struck down in its July 2020 Schrems II decision. Since the Schrems II decision, U.S. and EU negotiators have been hammering out a workable data transfer mechanism to permit the transfer of EU data to the United States.

Grant D. Petersen Tampa Author

Salvatore A. Anania London Author

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for March 7–20, 2022

Mexico’s federal government has indicated that the National Health Council will soon decree the end of the pandemic in Mexico. The expected announcement comes on the heels of signs that COVID-19 cases are significantly waning, with community transmission levels low enough for the government to designate all but one of Mexico’s thirty-two states in green status under the biweekly pandemic monitoring system.

Stephen Shore Toronto Author

Ontario’s Bill 88 Would Establish Electronic Monitoring Policies, Create Rights for Workers on Digital Platforms, and Require Naloxone Kits

On February 28, 2022, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022. Bill 88 would enact the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022, which would establish rights for workers who offer services through digital platforms. In addition, Bill 88 would amend a number of statutes including the Employment Standards Act, 2000.

Ontario Provides Timeline to Lift All COVID-19–Related Restrictions

On March 9, 2022, the Ontario government announced a plan to bring an end to all COVID-19 restrictions by April 27, 2022. Here is a summary of the upcoming employment-related changes.

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for February 21–March 6, 2022

Half of Mexico’s thirty-two states have been cleared by the federal government to fully reopen for business and social activities, a remarkable change from early February, when only four states were given the green light under the nation’s four-tiered pandemic traffic light monitoring system.

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for February 7–20, 2022

Nearly all of Mexico’s central and northern states have been directed by the federal government to limit the number of people on-site for business and social activities to half their normal capacity in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the government’s latest pandemic tracking system update.

Anja Becher Berlin Author

German Court Rules Occupational Accidents at Home May Be Covered by Statutory Accident Insurance

In the past, Germany’s Federal Social Court (Bundessozialgericht or BSG) has been reluctant to classify employee accidents that employees sustain in their homes as occupational accidents covered by the statutory accident insurance. A decision of the Federal Social Court on December 8, 2021 (file no. B 2 U 4/21) clarified that the initial journey from bed to a home office constitutes an occupational accident and thus is considered covered by the statutory accident insurance.

The New UAE Labor Law: Implications for Employers

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a new set of labor laws governing private-sector employment relations. On February 2, 2022, Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 took effect, repealing and replacing Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, as amended, in its entirety.

Christopher V. Anderson Charleston Author

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for January 24–February 6, 2022

As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads throughout Mexico, the federal government is directing more states to ramp up efforts to contain the virus, including directing Aguascalientes to allow only essential activities—the first time since last September that any state has operated under the country’s red traffic light pandemic control measures, the most stringent according to the national four-tiered COVID-19 monitoring system.

Salvatore A. Anania London Author

UK Data Transfer Mechanisms: Key Takeaways for Employers

On 2 February 2022, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published the final form of its much-anticipated new International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) and the International Data Transfer Addendum to the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.

Data Privacy Day Around the World: January 28, 2022

In celebration of Data Privacy Day, we are highlighting some of these laws as well as some global data privacy and protection questions, expectations, and trends that lie ahead in 2022. Without further ado, below are some of the privacy laws from around the world that we anticipate will go into effect in 2022 or that recently went into effect.

Salvatore A. Anania London Author

Mexico’s COVID-19 Traffic Light Monitoring System: News for January 10–23, 2022

The COVID-19 Omicron variant has resulted in a slight increase in the rate of infection in Mexico, but the federal government has deemed all of the nation’s 32 states safe to remain open for business, although with cautions for a few of the states.

Ontario Implements New Lockdown and Revised COVID-19 Testing Guidance

On January 3, 2022, the Ontario government announced a number of restrictions in response to climbing COVID-19 case numbers and increased hospitalizations. Effective January 5, 2022, the province is temporarily returning to a modified version of its previous Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen under O. Reg. 263/20. The province will return to Step Two for a minimum of 21 days (until January 26, 2022), at which point the restrictions will be evaluated.

Stephen Shore Toronto Author

Canada: Upcoming Legislative Changes Taking Effect in January 2022

As we ring in the new year, there are a number of legislative changes that will take effect, impacting workplaces across Canada. Below are the significant changes taking effect by January 1, 2022.