Newsletter July, 2024

Kenya: Federation of Kenya Employers and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization signed a Memorandum of Understanding

On 13 May 2024, the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at FKE Headquarters in Nairobi.
The MOU was signed by Ms. Jacqueline Mugo, Executive Director & CEO of FKE and new IOE president (since June 2024) and Mr. Paolo Salvai, ILO Programme Director in Turin, with the attendance of Ms. Caroline Njuki, ILO Kenya Country Director, and other notable members of the FKE Faculty.
This collaboration heralds the launch of the International Postgraduate Certificate in Industrial Relations in Kenya, a programme that both FKE Faculty and the ILO will facilitate.

ILO World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2024 Update

The International Labour Organization (ILO) recently released its "World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2024 Update," providing insights into global labour market trends and projections.
Published on 29 May 2024, it stresses the need for inclusive policies and sustainable and inclusive growth to address labour market inequalities.
It reports on modest improvements in unemployment levels, but also highlights persistent inequalities, particularly for women in low-income countries.

On 14 February 2024, The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that discrimination based on HIV status is prohibited under Philippine law, and foreign laws contrary to these principles cannot be enforced.
The Supreme Court stated that Philippine laws apply to overseas employment contracts unless specific conditions for foreign laws are met.
It ruled that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's (KSA) law deeming individuals with HIV as unfit to work contradicts Philippine law and that the dismissal based on HIV status was unlawful.

On 26 April 2024, the new law amending the Labour Code to reduce the maximum limit of weekly working hours from 45 to 40 hours entered into force.

On 3 May 2024, the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting adopted revisions to the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI), addressing emerging challenges from general-purpose and generative AI.
These revisions respond to recent technological advancements and address challenges related to privacy, intellectual property rights, safety, and information integrity.
International Organisation of Employers recently published a policy review providing employers’ organsations with guidelines on issues to assess when integrating this technology into business operations.

On 27 March 2024, Austria published legislation transposing the European Transparency Directive into national law after some delay from the original EU deadline of 1 August 2022.
This new legislation came into force on 28 March 2024 and applies to employment relationships established after that date.
It introduces changes to existing labour laws to enhance transparency and employee rights.

On 22 February 2024, the Supreme Court of New South Wales dismissed a negligence claim in a workplace slip incident.
The Court found that the company had taken reasonable precautions to ensure safety and that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the accident resulted from their negligence. This emphasizes the importance of evidence in establishing negligence and the inherent safety of workplace conditions.