Disputes Nike hit with age and gender bias suit from former store executive Oregon complaint alleges unequal treatment by younger manager and denial of severance after 25 years with the company Disputes Google and Paramount confront “reverse discrimination” complaints Googler claims boss had no time for “rich, white guys who drive Mercedes and golf all day” while Paramount veteran claims DEI forced him out of his job Harassment McDonald’s faces renewed scrutiny as it agrees to stronger safeguards for UK staff New agreement mandates training for managers and franchisees, with added focus on social media and grooming risks Community Eversheds Sutherland raids Bird & Bird for seven-lawyer Paris team Benjamine Fiedler and Chris Ivey make lateral move as legislative change reshapes France’s employment landscape Modern Slavery How political pressure threatens truth from campus to boardroom A UK university’s handling of forced labour research is a stark reminder that when economic interests eclipse integrity, both academia and business lose their moral compass Human Rights Britain’s record surge in modern slavery referrals puts business under scrutiny Record referrals expose cracks in workplace oversight and put employers on legal notice Future of Work Gowling WLG: Why are Employers of Record so topical and do they work? From France to Germany, Canada to the UK – the EoR model operates under very different rules, raising questions about who really employs the worker Unions Italy doubles down on collective bargaining to safeguard fair pay Unions will bear greater responsibility for timely and effective wage negotiations under new law Sick Leave UK firms join Labour’s drive to tackle long-term ill health at work Google, Sainsbury’s, and British Airways sign up to help staff with chronic conditions Events Spring European Employment Summit International Employment Lawyer is delighted to announce that the third Spring European Employment Summit will take place on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th of March at Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam.The event will bring together senior in-house and private practice lawyers to explore the challenges and opportunities facing multinational employers and their counsel across the region. Research IEL Monitor IEL Monitor is a forward-looking, fully searchable database of upcoming and prospective employment and labour legislation from around the world, designed to alert in-house teams of new laws and regulations, and support timely compliance. Labour Reforms Modernising Argentina’s work rules in a changing political landscape Politics Ethics on the edge: Trump-era politics reshape UK corporate behaviour Crime Security guard’s sticky fingers prosecution debated in South Korea