Implementing the EU Work-Life Balance Directive in Poland

Member states must implement the EU Work-Life Balance Directive by 2 August 2022. Poland has published draft legislation, but current indications suggest it may not meet this deadline. By 2 August this year, Poland must implement the so-called Work-Life Balance Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers). One of…

A new right to request remote working in Ireland

The Irish government has published proposed details of its long-awaited scheme giving employees the right to request remote working. Irish employers and employees have finally been given some detail on how the long-awaited right to request remote working is expected to operate. The legislation, once enacted, will introduce for the first time a legal framework in Ireland around requesting remote working arrangements. The Department of…

Occupational pension reform in Spain: what will change?

Major occupational pension reforms in Spain would facilitate access to employment-linked pension provision for low and middle-income workers, to be implemented through collective bargaining. On 23 November 2021, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a preliminary draft law regulating occupational pension plans. The aim of the new legislation is to facilitate access to collective plans for low and middle-income workers and small and medium-sized enterprises,…

New protection for gender identity and expression in Denmark

From 1 January 2022, Denmark has introduced an explicit ban on discrimination on the grounds of gender identity, gender expression and gender characteristics. The Danish Parliament has adopted amendments to the Discrimination Act and the Gender Equality Act. The bill follows up on the Government’s ‘Freedom to be different – strengthened rights and possibilities for LGBTI people’ proposal which, among other things, aims to strengthen…

Corona Pass to access the workplace: new proposals in Netherlands

A new law under discussion in the Netherlands would introduce a more widespread obligation for employees to show a ‘Corona Access Pass’ to work on-site. The possibility of introducing the Corona Access Pass (CTB) in the workplace has been a serious news topic in the Netherlands and beyond lately. Currently, Dutch employers cannot require their employees to show their CTB before entering the workplace. This…

Get vaccinated or risk dismissal: Latvia’s new rules for on-site work

Tough new workplace access rules in Latvia mean employers can suspend and even dismiss on-site employees considered at risk of COVID-19 exposure if they are not vaccinated. From 15 December the vaccination obligation will be extended to all on-site employees. Autumn in many European countries began with new and more stringent restrictions as legislators across the continent tried their best to limit the spread of…

Quotas for employing people with disabilities in thirteen countries

The World Health Organisation states that over one billion people live with some form of disability. It has been observing 3 December as ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ since 1992. To mark this, we take a look below at the kind of rules that are in place on a supranational level to support the idea that disabled people have a right to participate in…

Improving the boardroom gender balance: new rules in the Netherlands

A new legal amendment approved by the Dutch Senate will enforce more balanced ratios of men and women in the top ranks of large companies and introduce reporting requirements on whether this is achieved. The Dutch Senate has approved an amendment to the law enforcing a more balanced ratio of men and women in the top ranks of large companies. A bill introduced by caretaker…

Refusing Saturday work for religious reasons: a new Danish ruling

The Danish High Court has ruled it was not contrary to the Anti-Discrimination Act for a school to dismiss a physical education teacher who refused to attend work on a Saturday for religious reasons. According to the Danish Anti-Discrimination Act, a criterion or practice that may seem neutral can constitute indirect discrimination on grounds of religion if it would put a person of a particular…

Key upcoming changes in South Korean employment law

A number of significant employment law changes are imminent in South Korea. They include a new minimum wage, new penalties for workplace harassment and remedies for gender discrimination and sexual harassment claims, plus leave and working hour adjustments for pregnant employees. New minimum wage for 2022 On 19 July 2021 the South Korean government announced the 2022 minimum wage as KRW 9,160 (approximately USD 7.92)…