On December 17, 2021, when the deadline for implementing the EU Whistleblowing Directive expires – or, at the latest, when corresponding national whistleblower protection laws come into force – member states will face changes in whistleblower protection.
After the passage of Florida Statute 381.00317, employers with employees in Florida were left with new rules relating to COVID-19 vaccination policies, in many instances contrary to the signaled direction of federal government rules and guidance.
On December 10, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that face masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces in New York State, effective December 13, 2021.
On Monday, December 6, 2021, New York City announced a first-in-the-nation vaccine mandate for private-sector employers, which must now require vaccinations for all employees who work in person in the city.
On November 30, 2021, Ontario announced that it had passed Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021 (Act). The Act received Royal Assent on December 2, 2021, and came into force on that day.
The Ontario Superior Court recently dismissed union applications for injunctions to restrain two entities from suspending or terminating unvaccinated employees before their mandatory vaccination policies could be challenged in the grievance process.
In mid-November, the UAE Cabinet approved a new Labour Law, Federal Law Number 33 of 2021 (the New Labour Law) which will come into force on 2 February 2022 and repeals Law Number 8 of 1980 (the Old Law), replacing it entirely.
On November 16, 2021, Governor Spencer J. Cox signed SB2004 into law, placing limitations and additional obligations on Utah employers that have implemented vaccine or testing requirements on employees.
While employers generally provide some form of notice of electronic monitoring, as a matter of practice, in their employee handbook, New York now requires transparency about workplace monitoring as a matter of law.
