Newsletter October, 2023

Singapore: the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL)

In August 2023, the Singapore government accepted the final recommendations of the Tripartite Committee on the proposed Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL).
The WFL seeks to settle disputes via mediation rather than litigation, maintaining a workplace culture that is harmonious and not litigious.
The government will work with tripartite partners to implement the recommendations into law, which is expected in 2024.

Taiwan: draft amendments against sexual harassment

In July 2023, Taiwan amended three laws to counter and prevent sexual harassment: the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, the Gender Equality in Employment Act (AGEE), and the Gender Equality Education in a special legislative session.
The legislative modifications come as a reaction to
The Gender Equality in Employment Act (AGEE) sets new and more stringent obligations for employers and penalties for non-compliance in the workplace.

On 6 July 2023, the ILO Convention n. 190 on Violence and Harassment entered into force in Mexico.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work announced a new Healthy Workplaces Campaign for 2023-2025, which will be launched in October 2023, aiming to raise awareness of occupational safety and health in the digital age throughout Europe.
The campaign seeks to create a greater understanding of the digital-related occupational safety and health challenges and opportunities at work, promoting a culture of risk prevention.

Veolia launched the new 'Veolia Cares' programme to ensure a standard basic level of social protection for the Group's 213,000 employees worldwide.
The initiative will guarantee all employees the same level of protection, even where there is no legal standard of reference to overcome geographical disparities in social protection.

On 7 August 2023, the Supreme Court clarified that liability arising from the violation of fundamental rights by the direct employer (the contractor) cannot be extended to the main company in a subcontracting regime since this is an area in which the main company cannot intervene by express legal provision and in which it also has no power of control.

The Canadian government announced the launch of the new Recognised Employer Pilot (REP) programme in September 2023 to ease administrative burdens for Canadian companies to hire foreign workers for specific roles.
It will provide employers with simpler and more predictable access to labour and more flexibility for the labour market.

A new report published by the ILO in August 2023 presents a global analysis of tasks and occupations implications to generative Artificial Intelligence.
According to the study, technology is likely to automate some tasks within an occupation while leaving time for other duties, as opposed to fully automating occupations.
This study disregards the widespread concern that such technology could lead to job displacement. Lost jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation and will be augmented and not replaced by generative AI.