The Australian Government Tables Closing Loopholes Bill: What It Means For Your Business

On 4 September 2023, the Federal Government introduced the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023 (Cth) (Bill) in the House of Representatives. This Bill is significant, running to 278 pages and covering 28 distinct parts. It proposes reforms that will have a substantial impact on employers, employees, principals, and contractors. In many respects, the Bill … Read more

Australia: Zombies rise from the industrial crypt – upcoming notification obligations under the Secure Jobs, Better Pay reforms

The recent Secure Jobs, Better Pay reforms to the Fair Work Act require employers to notify employees covered by so-called ‘zombie agreements’ – being agreements that were made before 1 January 2010 – that: the employee is covered by an agreement based transitional instrument; and the instrument will terminate on 7 December 2023 (unless an … Read more

Australia: Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023

Labor introduced the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 (PWE Bill) into Parliament yesterday. The PWE Bill contains the second tranche of amendments to the Fair Work system. We have put together a summary of the changes proposed to the Fair Work Act and related legislation that addresses the following: making changes … Read more

Inside IR: The Australian Industrial Relations Podcast – EP1: Jobs & Skills Summit, Part 1 – Multi-employer bargaining and termination of enterprise agreements

By Rohan Doyle and Natalie Gaspar In our very first episode of Inside IR, partners Rohan Doyle and Natalie Gaspar begin their deep dive into the Federal Government’s recent Jobs & Skills Summit. We look at some of the key areas of focus coming out of the Summit, namely the proposal to limit the ability … Read more

UK: mini-budget highlights for employers (updated)

This email has been updated to reflect subsequent changes reversing some of the announcements included in the mini-budget. The Chancellor has announced the following changes of particular interest to HR and employment lawyers: Changes to income tax and NICs rates From 6 November 2022 the 1.25% increase to the rate of National Insurance Contributions introduced … Read more

Global Employment Risk: An interactive guide

Since the onset of the pandemic, our global employment team has been monitoring the level and changing nature of risks around the world.  Whilst some trends have accelerated i.e. whistleblowing regulations, there are some new and important developments that pose significant employment risks. We have mapped these across the major financial centers using an interactive … Read more