On April 5, 2022, Ontario announced that, in an effort to help workers with rising costs and inflation, it will be raising its general minimum wage by 8% from $15 per hour to $15.50 per hour, commencing October 1, 2022.
In Oostlander v Cervus Equipment Corporation, 2022 ABQB 200, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta awarded 24 months’ pay in lieu of reasonable notice to a long-term heavy duty mechanic, less mitigation income.
On March 28, 2022, the Brazilian government published a new Provisional Measure that, among other matters, modifies some of the provisions of the Labor Code relating to remote work that could have a significant impact on employers.
Bill 19 addresses issues raised after the province’s Employment Standards Act (ESA) was amended to entitle eligible employees in the province to eight personal illness or injury leave days—five paid and three unpaid—commencing January 1, 2022.
In a successful wrongful dismissal lawsuit, the Supreme Court of British Columbia awarded an employee an additional $15,000 for aggravated damages because the employer engaged in conduct during the dismissal that was unfair and in bad faith.
An arbitrator has upheld the Toronto District School Board’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, determining determined that the policy did not infringe section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and was a reasonable exercise of management rights.
An arbitrator has made another contribution to the “weight of authority” in Ontario labour arbitration awards pertaining to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in unionized workplaces.
With UK job vacancies at a 20-year high, an economy bouncing back from the pandemic and no more free movement within the EU, new work visa routes in March’s Immigration Rules changes can’t come too soon for many businesses.
The UK government has made clear, in its “Inclusive Britain” policy paper published on March 17, that ethnicity pay gap reporting will not be mandatory for employers “at this stage.”
