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Great Britain: the government launches a training platform for furloughed employees during Covid-19
Called The Skills Toolkit, this free online learning system aims to enable the many Britons currently not in full time employment (c.f. article No. 11878) to acquire skills during the pandemic...
Spain: Telefónica agreement on a set of conditions for business resumption once lockdown conditions are relaxed
The CCOO and UGT trade unions have signed a protocol with Telefónica's management containing health and safety standards aimed at both securing employee protection for when the Covid-19 state of...
28 April 2020
Germany: vote on draft legislation to train employees for the ‘work of tomorrow’
On Thursday, 23 April, Germany’s Bundestag passed the ‘Bill for the Promotion of Vocational Training during Structural Transition and for the Development of Training Support,’ or more concisely...
28 April 2020
Germany: ‘Coronavirus’ measures added to draft vocational training legislation
Germany’s legislature is making additions to the text voted by the Bundestag on 23 April on the current health crisis. In order to ensure appropriate functioning of works councils and the...
28 April 2020
Spain: chemical industry social partners circulate their ‘recommendations for the protection of workers’ health in the face of Covid-19’
On 27 April, the employers’ organization, Feique, together with the Fica UGT and CCOO Industria trade unions presented a joint document (here) containing recommendations for protecting...
Belgium: a plan to exempt overtime hours in ‘crucial’ sectors from social security contribution payments
On 25 April, Belgium’s Council of Ministers approved a preliminary draft Royal Decree (which has yet to be submitted to the Council of State) that provides for financial support for workers...
28 April 2020
Hungary: agreements at Audi and Mercedes to mitigate the economic consequences of the production stoppage
On 23 April, a new agreement was concluded between the Audi manufacturer and the independent Audi Hungary trade union (AHFSZ) that seeks to mitigate the economic consequences of the Covid-19...
France: agreement at Valeo that relies on social dialogue to ensure the application of its safety protocol for the resumption of business activity
The agreement signed on April 16 between the French global automotive supplier and the CFE-CGC, FO and CFDT trade unions aims to ‘create the conditions necessary for the upcoming resumption of...
27 April 2020
United Kingdom: Trades Union Congress demands risk assessment at every company before return to work
With the UK set to be under lockdown until 7 May at the very least, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has begun to voice concern about the easing of the lockdown and is calling on the government to...
Italy: social partners revise protocol to combat coronavirus in the workplace
Ahead of “phase two”, which see lockdown in Italy gradually eased from 4 May and will primarily concern production activities, the trade unions Cgil, Cisl and Uil and the employer organisation...
27 April 2020
Portugal: Volkswagen plant resumes operations under certain conditions
Autoeuropa, the Volkswagen plant in Palmela near Lisbon, is to get back up and running on 27 April. Only two production shifts are planned so that the constraints of the Covid-19 protection plan...
27 April 2020
France: Amazon loses appeal as court reaffirms central importance of social dialogue in risk prevention policies
On 24 April the appeals court in Versailles confirmed the ruling, passed 10 days earlier, which ordered Amazon France to limit work at its warehouses to operations related to essential product...
27 April 2020
Germany: disagreement over creation of ‘right’ to work remotely
When presenting an array of plans to modernise the world of work last September, Germany’s minister of employment and social affairs Hubertus Heil (of the SPD) announced his intention to...
EU: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work publishes guidelines for returns to work
Several European governments are currently planning a gradual lifting of the lockdown measures that were put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In its roadmap towards lifting the...
24 April 2020
Germany: IG Metall publishes practical guide with measures to prevent spread of Covid-19 in the workplace
As major automobile manufacturers in Germany gear up to boost production, the country’s metalworkers’ union has published a practical and detailed 30-page guide on how to ensure protection at...
24 April 2020
United Kingdom: more than one quarter of UK workers furloughed, says ONS
On 23 April, the UK government unveiled an analysis on the furloughing (temporary laying off) of workers amid the lockdown measures that have been put in place across the country. Entitled the...
24 April 2020
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: Medef puts forward proposals to improve management quality
On 31 August, Medef, French main employers' organisation, published a practical guide to managerial skills, which it considers to be a driver of economic performance for businesses. Concerned by...
2
AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...
3
France: Ministry of Labour unveils plan to accelerate the rollout of AI
On 22 September, the French Ministry of Labour presented a plan named Impulsion IA 2027 aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI by companies and employees. It contains 12 measures applicable from...
4
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
5
Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages
The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...
6
UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union
The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...