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News update as of December 21, 2018
On the menu : Italian banking sector social partners implement a bilateral commercial business policy committee,  introduction of largest minimum wage hike for 25 years, in th UK/ Should veganism...
21 December 2018
France: a ruling on the information-consultation obligation for WCs operating in French subsidiaries of non-French companies (take-over situations), which hold EWCs but which do not detail how interaction should occur between the various representation levels
The dispute centred on the Thales takeover of Dutch headquartered digital security firm Gemalto. The WC in Gemalto’s French arm Gemalto SA (a 99.99% parent holding entity) turned to the courts and...
20 December 2018
EU: the qualification period required to be eligible for paternity leave is the final question to be discussed to allow the adoption of the ‘conciliation’ draft directive
Europe’s co-legislators have almost secured agreement on the draft directive on ‘conciliation’ (c.f. article No. 10177). During what had been scheduled as their final meeting on 14 December they...
20 December 2018
Great Britain: employers’ body overwhelmingly rejects the government’s post-Brexit immigration plan
On 19 December, and with the 100-day countdown to Brexit just underway, the UK government unveiled its much-awaited Post-Europe Immigration white paper. Key measures in the plan include the...
20 December 2018
Italy/EU Commission avoids pursuing excessive deficit procedures over budget in return for less fund allocation to citizen’s income and pensions
Italy’s Conte government has reviewed the contents of its 2019 budget and in order to avoid EU Commission sanctions will lower the expected deficit to GDP ratio to 2.04% from the original 2.4%. In...
20 December 2018
Germany: nation opens its doors to skilled workers from across the world
After 30 years of ideological debate on the need to formulate legislation on economic immigration and on whether or not to consider Germany as an ‘immigration country’, the country’s grand...
19 December 2018
France: Council of Ministers adopts draft legislation corresponding to President Emmanuel Macron’s ‘Gilets Jaunes’ announcements
This draft legislation addresses urgent social and economic measures that were adopted by the Council of Ministers on 19 December. It sets out arrangements for implementing President Macron’s post...
19 December 2018
Germany: Verdi and Deutsche Post give a positive assessment of the Deutsche Post part-time early retirement model
Implemented in 2011, Deutsche Post’s (DP) part-time early retirement model (Altersteilzeit), called the ‘Generation Contract’ has struck a very positive chord with postal workers and it has just...
19 December 2018
News update as of December 18, 2018
On the menu : in Sweden, a trade union is using an algorithm that can gauge predict when to organize, negotiate, and demonstrate, EU urges S. Korea to ratify ILO conventions, Deutsche Post DHL and...
18 December 2018
United Kingdom: May blows the cobwebs off the labour code, without taking action on zero-hour contracts or the gig economy
On 17 December, the UK government unveiled a package of labour reforms, which it believes are the biggest for 20 years. The government’s Good Work Plan, which is a response to the Taylor report...
17 December 2018
Germany: Deutsche Bahn workers can still choose between more pay and more free time
On Saturday 15 December, following difficult negotiations that were marked by a warning strike on 10 December that left much of the country’s rail traffic paralyzed, Germany’s rail company...
17 December 2018
Romania : first collective agreement in the finance sector signed (in brief)
On 12 December, FinBan, the Romanian federation for financial services employers, and the FSAB, the federation of insurance and bank trade unions, signed the first collective agreement in the...
17 December 2018
Italy: a first experiment of workers on the board at Vitec Imaging Solutions
In what is to be a first in Italy, a country in which co-management remains unusual, the company agreement at Vitec Imaging Solutions (formerly Manfrotto), which was signed in April this year with...
14 December 2018
Spain: trade unions and government reach agreement to modify labour law (in brief)
An agreement has been reached by Spain’s employment ministry and the CCOO and UGT trade unions, though without the involvement of the CEOE and Cepyme employer organisations, who refused to...
14 December 2018
News update as of 13 December, 2018
On the menu : minimum salary level to rise by 22% in Spain, some weakening in protection for bankers from employment termination in Germany, legislation on overtime hours has been adopted in...
13 December 2018
Spain: data protection legislation recognizes workers’ right to disconnect
The organic law on personal data protection and digital rights, which transposes EU GDPR legislation into Spanish law, officially recognizes workers’ rights to privacy when using their employers’...
12 December 2018
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025
6
France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval
The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...