Newsletter October, 2022

New Zealand: Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill

On 22 September 2022, Labour MP Helen White introduced the Employment Relations (Restraint of Trade) Amendment Bill (Bill) to Parliament.
It seeks to amend the Employment Relations Act 2000 to include a restraint of trade provision that will “prohibit the use of restraints of trade in employment agreements for lower and middle-income employees”.
The Bill will also require employers of higher income employees to carefully consider whether a restraint of trade is appropriate to those employees and, if they insist on a restraint of trade, to compensate the employees for it.

European Court of Justice (ECJ): The right to leave is not time-barred if the employee has not been put in a position to take it

On 22 September 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rendered an important judgment on an employee's right to paid leave.
It stated that the right to annual leave cannot expire without enabling the worker to exercise that right.

The proposal to revise the Employment Protection Act (EPA), presented on June 2021, was finally adopted.
The reform described as the “greatest reform of Swedish employment law in modern times” entered into force on 30 June 2022 and applied for the first time as of 1 October 2022.

The Federal Center for Conciliation and Labour Registry is the new body responsible for settling labour law disputes in Mexico, replacing the former conciliation and arbitration boards.
It became operational with effect on 3 October. This is the final phase of the implementation of the labour reform passed in Mexico in 2019.

On 13 September 2022, Perù’s Minister of Economy and Finance presented to representatives from private sector business and labour associations the government’s Plan Impulso Perú.
The Plan aims to restart the country’s economic growth and promote job creation.