Current Affairs

Quebec: Changes to Labor Standards for Employees

Intended to take effect in January 2019, Québec’s National Assembly recently enacted Bill 176, entitled An Act to amend the Act respecting labor standards and other legislative provisions mainly to facilitate family-work balance (Bill). The Bill was approved on June 12, 2018 and is set to affect non-federal employees in Quebec, or about 90 percent of the workforce. These changes will also affect many staffing firms and employers alike, all over the province. Quebec’s changes are following on the heels of similar legislation recently implemented in other provinces, such as in Ontario and Alberta which saw new legislation come into effect in 2018.

What Are the Changes?

Mexico: Employment Reforms Proposed

Although it has only just begun, President Andrés Manuel López’s regime is already being referred to as a new era for politics in Mexico. Together with his current administration, López has come up with the 2018-2024 Nation Project designed to address issues related to economic, educational, and social matters.

Hong Kong: Is Compliance Enough to Protect Your Data

The recent leaking of a massive number of customers’ personal data by international airlines, along with other alarming leaks on social media platforms, have once again put the issue of data protection into the spotlight.

Cambodia: Labor Law Amendment on ‘Seniority Payment’

On July 11, 2018, Cambodia passed an amendment to the Labor Law that eliminates “indemnity for dismissal”—a local legal concept equivalent to a severance payment—for undetermined duration contracts (i.e., employment contracts without a fixed expiration date, or UDCs), and replaces it with an ongoing requirement for employers to pay employees a new “seniority payment.” These amendments affect undetermined duration contracts, and may also affect fixed-term contracts (i.e., employment contracts with a fixed expiration date).

International HR: A Multi-flavored Buffet of Staffing Strategies

The increasing number and flavors of multinational employers in the world today has resulted in a hunger for relevant and accurate data on how to manage this unique set of global employees. How does one structure a company’s management and culture? Should the headquarters’ norms prevail or should leadership err on the side of decentralization and respect for each country office’s preferences? If one wanted a balance of the two, how would one even go about it?

Saudi Arabia: Focus on Occupational Health and Safety

Saudi Arabia, together with the other members of The Gulf Cooperation Council, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, are shifting their focus on the importance of occupational health and safety.

Recently, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Labor and Social Development announced a new guideline that will ensure the occupational health and safety of workers. In compliance with the National Strategic Program for Occupational Safety and Health, the new resolution provides employers with a framework to manage all the occupational health and safety issues affecting their employees.

Malaysian Government to Standardize Minimum Wage at RM 1,050

As of January 2019, the minimum monthly wage in Malaysia will be RM 1,050 per month or RM 5.05 per hour. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office, the set increase in the minimum wage comes as a result of the country’s economic situation and the figure that was decided upon was proposed by the National Wage Consultative Council.

Vietnam: Foreign Employees Required to Participate In Compulsory Social Insurance

The Vietnamese government issued a ruling on October 15^th, 2018 that highlights a new regulation on compulsory social insurance applicable to all foreign employees, decree No. 143.  Initially, the 2014 Social Insurance Law indicated that international workers only be permitted (not required) to participate in Vietnam’s Social Insurance as of 1^st January 2018.

The vagueness of this regulation is what raised concerns as to the scope of Social Insurance by foreign employees- is it compulsory or is it optional?

Upcoming Changes in Poland’s Labor and Employment Law

The Polish legislature is currently working on a couple of labor and employment laws that will take effect in 2019 and possibly ring in a new era of HR in Poland.  The monitoring of employees, changes in minimum wage and the protection of company business secrets are some of what is set to alter in the next year. Here is a brief description of some of the modifications yet to come and how they will affect HR practices in Poland.

Spain: Labor Rights Overhaul Announced by Prime Minister

The Man behind the New Regime

The leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, became the designated prime minister of Spain after battling his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, on the counts of a corruption scandal. This change in leaders paves the way for a new era in labor right for Spain, EU’s fourth largest country.