Work/Life: international employment news update

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Issue 74

Welcome to the latest edition of our international employment news update.

Spanish government will pay companies to test a 4-day week

Small and medium sized Spanish companies with under 250 employees can now apply for a pilot government scheme to implement a four-day work week for at least two years, while still offering employees full pay. The scheme will compensate employers up to 200,000 euros in aggregate as well as the consultancy costs of designing new work schemes and follows the lead of the successful UK four-day work week trial which was carried out in 2022 and was retained by most participant companies.

UK government to make businesses liable for workers' fraud

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill is currently making its way through parliament, if passed into law the bill would make it easier to prosecute large organisations where an employee commits fraud for the benefit of the business. The introduction of this offence has been praised as being long overdue, and the kind that could have historically allowed for effective prosecution of banks in the global financial crisis.

Reforms to working rules for under 16's in the Netherlands

The Dutch social affairs ministry has unveiled reforms to protect young teenagers in the workforce. Since 2020, under 16's have been unable to work for meal delivery companies due to the risks associated with cycling in traffic. This ban is set to be extended to prevent under 16's working for grocery delivery companies as well, while the rules around working hours are to be relaxed to allow working until 8pm on non-school nights or during school holidays.

Working visas offered to third country nationals in Slovakia

Following new legislation approved by the Slovakian government, 5,000 working visas will be offered to citizens of various Eastern European countries in a bid to fill roles for drivers of heavy goods vehicles, international transport drivers and bus drivers. The visas will only be valid for one year in order to address the urgent long-term shortage of workers in the national and international shipping industry.

UK bank pledges to double proportion of staff with disabilities in senior management roles

Lloyds Banking Group is the first UK bank to commit to an ambitious goal of doubling disability representation in its senior management roles to 12% by 2025. Currently 6% of senior managers have reported having a disability, if the target is reached then the number would increase from around 450 to 900. The company plans to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of its recruitment processes, technology systems and offices to help reach the goal.

First CDC pension schemes authorised in the UK

The Pensions Regulator has authorised the UK's first collective defined contribution (CDC) pension schemes in a move to embrace innovation to help boost retirement savings. This will provide an alternative to traditional defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes and allows the contributions of members and employers to be pooled in a collective fund, providing pension schemes that are more resilient to market shocks.

CBI director-general sacked over misconduct allegations

Tony Danker was recently dismissed with immediate effect after an independent investigation was carried out into complaints about his workplace conduct. Allegations included organising a private karaoke party, viewing Instagram accounts of employees and inviting junior staff to one-on-one outings, among others. The company has been criticised for not following a fair process during the investigation, for example not sharing the investigation report before dismissal and not appointing an outside body to identify and implement any reforms required, as well as for bringing Mr Danker's reputation into disrepute.