Labour mobility, climate change, whistleblowers protection, and equal workplace opportunities are just some of the topical issues covered in this edition.
This edition opens with an analysis of a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) on implementing a safe and healthy working environment. It is followed with an article looking at a national level initiative in the United States, from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The initiative was launched recently and aims to reduce or eliminate injuries and fatalities associated with falls while working at heights.
In the United Kingdom, we report on new governmental guidelines on positive actions that employers can take, emphasising the importance of distinguishing them from actions that could be qualified as unlawful positive discrimination.
We also highlight the first decision in Australia related to whistleblower protection and the extensive debate it has triggered on the effectiveness of the protection offered by the law, as well as the decisionby the Irish Court of Appeal on the existence of cause for dismissal and the possible exculpatory effect of wrongful conduct arising from post-traumatic stress disorder. To close out this section, there is an article on the jurisprudential orientation in Costa Rica confirming that there is an employment relationship between Uber and its drivers.
Other featured articles include coverage of a new agreement between social partners in Spain on employment and collective bargaining that aims to improve working conditions for workers and the competitiveness of companies;a new law in Uruguay to change the regulation of collective bargaining, bringing the country in line with international standards guaranteed by the ILO.
We also examine in this edition critical new legislation in several countries. In Ecuador, the so-called Violet Law aims to guarantee equal treatment and rights between men and women and to prevent and eradicate gender-based violence. On the same topic, South Africa approved the amendment to the Employment Equity Act, which provoked strong criticism from the social partners. At the same time, in Canada, the Ontario government has proposed a reform regarding notice given to remote workers in the case of collective redundancies.
At the international level, we examine a Eurofound report on the consequences of climate change on the world of work and business, as well as the European Commission report on labour mobility in the post-pandemic period and the ability of migrants to fill current labour shortages.
Finally, we conclude with an analysis of two private initiatives. The agreement reached in a historic class dispute withUS-based Goldman Sachs on gender discrimination in the workplace, and the signing by the Generali Group the renewal of its hybrid working agreement, which includes further provisions on disconnection, flexibility, and inclusiveness.