On third debate, Panama approved the legislative bill that aims at gradually reintegrating employees to their companies, which have already restarted their activities and which in 2020 suspended labor contracts due to the crisis caused by the covid-19 outbreak.
The National Assembly approved on February 24 bill No.542, submitted by the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), which allows the gradual reinstatement of workers with suspended contracts, recognizes the payment of maternity leaves to workers with suspended contracts, the return of disabled people and establishes temporary measures to preserve employment and stability of the companies, details an official statement.
The bill that extends until March 2021 the validity of the regulations that allow companies to reduce working hours was approved in the first debate.
In March 2020, when the first cases of covid-19 were registered, the "Law Authorizing the Reduction of Working Days following the Declaration of National Emergency" was approved. The validity of this regulation expires in December of this year, but a legislative project was approved in the first debate that seeks to extend the validity of the regulation until March 2021.
Because in Costa Rica the regulations authorizing companies to reduce working hours expire in December 2020, businessmen in the tourism sector are asking the Assembly to extend the deadline.
When the first cases of covid-19 were registered, the "Law Authorizing the Reduction of Working Days in view of the National Emergency Declaration" was approved. The validity of this regulation expires next December, but, the businessmen see the need to extend its validity.
After the Guatemalan Constitutional Court suspended the implementation of differentiated salaries in 2015, the Giammattei administration plans to discuss the application of regional minimum salaries during 2021 and the plan is for them to enter into force in 2022.
In 2015 the Guatemalan government established differentiated salaries for the municipalities of Masagua in Escuintla, Guastatoya and San Agustín Acasaguastlán in El Progreso and Estanzuelas in Zacapa.
Focusing the skills of employees according to new opportunities and approving laws that allow for more flexible labor agreements are some of the proposals being discussed in Guatemala for companies to face the new labor reality.
Following the economic crisis that caused the outbreak of covid-19, the recovery and generation of jobs is one of the issues that occupies much of the attention of the government in Guatemala.
A decree was published in Panama authorizing the modification or temporary reduction of the working day, which due to the economic crisis generated by covid-19 may be reduced by up to 50%.
The new regulation establishes that the agreement to modify working hours must include methods to achieve the gradual recovery of working hours to the levels existing before the crisis and that they must not affect the hourly rate agreed in the current employment contract, reported the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development.
The Executive Branch endorsed the new law that allows companies to temporarily reduce the working hours agreed with their employees, in the context of the crisis generated by the covid-19 virus.
On the morning of March 21, the deputies gave the second debate with 47 votes and unanimous approval to file 21854, the law authorizing the reduction of working hours prior to the declaration of a national emergency, reported the Assembly.
After heeding the objection made by the Executive to the project approved in October 2019, the Assembly proceeded to give its endorsement to the law that establishes the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers in the country who use the telework modality.
After the approval in second legislative debate of the law authorizing employers to suspend, from the first day of demonstration, the payment of wages to public servants who go on strike, the file will go to the President, Carlos Alvarado.
The Plenary Session of the Legislative Assembly approved, with 35 deputies in favor and 13 against, in its second and final debate, Bill 21,049, which will regulate strikes by establishing new rules so that workers can exercise this right, the Legislative Assembly reported.
After listening to the observations made by Chamber IV, the deputies approved in first debate the law authorizing employers to suspend, from the first day of demonstration, the payment of wages to civil servants who go on strike.
After the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended the legal framework regulating part-time work in Guatemala, a new proposal advances in Congress.
This is bill 5477 has received a favorable opinion from the Labor Commission of the Congress of the Republic and is pending discussion in the plenary of deputies.
Arguing to defend "the interests of the workers", labor union groups in Guatemala filed an appeal against the recently approved agreement regulating part-time employment in the country, and in response, the Constitutional Court decided to temporarily suspend it.
After several years of discussion, on June 27, 2019 Governmental Agreement 89-2019 was published in the Official Newspaper.
In Costa Rica, the Congress approved in first debate a bill that authorizes employers to suspend, from the first day of demonstration, the payment of wages to public sector workers who are on strike.
The Legislative Assembly voted in the first debate on file 21049, a law to provide legal security about the strike and its procedures, which seeks to eliminate the exaggerated privileges that employees of state entities have when they decree and execute a strike in the public sector, the Legislative Assembly informed on Tuesday, September 3.
The business sector welcomes the passage of the bill in the first debate, and say that "its implementation will bring significant savings to employees and businesses.”
With 52 votes in favor and zero against the Legislative Plenary, it approved in its first debate, the file 21.141 Law to Regulate Telework, which aims to regulate this activity as an instrument to generate employment, informed the Legislative Assembly on July 30.
A bill has been presented which incorporates the concept of customs fraud and smuggling into the Penal Code and establishes penalties from 5-12 years in prison.
The bill provides various prison terms ranging from 5 to 12 years. Porcell explained that these concepts will be incorporated into the Penal Code and that predicates to money laundering will also be considered as an offence.