Business & Human Rights Litigation

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Human rights span the entire breadth of business' responsibility

... from people, process and finance, to the environments in which they operate. Both society and legislation fuel the increasing demands on business for transparency, responsibility and ultimately, accountability in respect of human rights.

Our integrated Business and Human Rights Litigation practice has a proven track record advising parties from all angles of this complex issue, and capitalises on the strength and depth of our firm. Our broad experience in high end corporate and finance matters with regard to CSR, ESG and SDG's policy complements our renowned track record in litigation and arbitration in highly complex, multi-faceted and sensitive cases on workers' rights, environment, energy, data security & privacy and corporate liability. We handle pro bono litigation on principle and essential matters concerning the Rule of Law.

This all lends our expertise and experience the breadth and depth it needs to help our clients understand their human rights-related obligations, mitigate risk and navigate the potential consequences of any infringement.

Insights

16 May 2023

European directive to enhance gender equality in pay

An evaluation on equal pay conducted in 2020 found that applying the principle of equal pay as included in Directive 2006/54/EC (equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupations) was hindered by: (i) a lack of transparency in pay systems, (ii) a lack of legal certainty on what is considered work of equal value, and (iii) procedural obstacles faced by victims of pay discrimination. The facts support the findings: women in the European Union still earn less than men for equal work. The average gender pay gap in the EU ranges from 0.7% in Luxembourg to 22.3% in Latvia. With a pay gap of 14.2%, the Netherlands falls in the middle range.
23 February 2023

Dutch bill on responsible and sustainable international business conduct – what it means

On 2 November 2022, a revised bill on responsible and sustainable international business conduct – the RSIBC bill – was submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives by coalition parties ChristenUnie and D66, and the SP, PvdA, GL and Volt. The original bill, published in March 2021, was amended after criticism expressed by the Dutch Council of State in its advice on the bill.
24 February 2022

EU proposal published on corporate sustainability due diligence

On 23 February 2022, the long-awaited proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence was published. The proposal contains obligations for companies regarding human rights and environmental adverse impacts of their own operations as well as the operations of their subsidiaries and the value chain operations of companies that they have an established business relationship with. We discuss the highlights of the proposal in this article.