On 15 March 2023, the International Labour Organization (ILO) published a new report on key workers – who played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic – and their relevance in the daily functioning of economies, examining their working conditions, wages, and the challenges they face.
On 13 February 2023, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a new report that measures the effects of teleworking on work-life balance, pay, and career advancement from a gender perspective, showing mixed results.
It reveals that prevailing gender norms are likely to mediate the effect of teleworking on all three outcomes and should be a focus of future research.
On 20 February 2023, the Spanish Parliament approved modifications to the law on sexual and reproductive health and abortion. The new law - passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against - includes a new regulation on sick leave due to 'secondary incapacitating menstruation, becoming the first country in Europe to advance such legislation.
Sodexo is launching a new employee benefits programme, Vita by Sodexo, to retain talent and avoid resignations.
It provides all its eligible employees across the globe with a minimum benefits package of Parental and Care Leave, Life Insurance Benefits, and an Assistance phone line.
The programme will apply to Sodexo employees in the 53 countries where the company operates, although the platform providing the benefits will be introduced gradually.
The Minister of Employment and Labour, effective from 1 March 2023, increased the minimum earnings threshold of ZAR 241110.59 per annum and the national minimum wage of ZAR 25.42 per hour worked.
They increased, respectively, by 7.6 and 9.6 per cent.
On 2 march 2023, the European Union Court of Justice, in Case C-477/21, stated that daily rest is additional to weekly rest, even when it directly precedes the latter and even when national legislation grants workers a period of weekly rest greater than that required by EU law.