All articles

Belgium: lawyers assess legal application of requirement for employers to justify dismissals
In an article published by Belgian economics and finance magazine Tendances on 10 May (available here in French), several lawyers specialised in employment law offer their conclusions after an...
17 May 2018
In brief, protests in Belgium against move to a points-based pension system
On Wednesday 16 May, close to 55,000 people protested in Brussels against pension reforms proposed by Charles Michel’s government, while parts of the country’s public services, areas of transport...
17 May 2018
Germany: company works councils focus increasingly on employee psychological welfare
Two years after the Hans-Böckler Foundation survey of company works councils’ major foci relating to negotiated company agreements (c.f. article No. 9681), the Foundation has repeated the project...
Japan: disabled workers quota raised to 2.2%
In April 2018 the legal percentage level of disabled workers to which Japanese companies must comply was raised from 2.0% to 2.2%, despite the fact that only 50% of these companies had actually...
16 May 2018
Poland: companies increasingly commit to a CSR approach/more actively involved in CSR
The Responsible Business Forum think tank comprising from large company senior executives has just published its ‘Responsible Business in Poland. Good Practices 2017’ report, which reviews 1,190...
16 May 2018
News updates as of May 15, 2018
On the menu : gender pay equality to become a mandatory part of 2022 results in France, still in France, from 01 May for all company or establishment agreements to be valid they must be signed by...
15 May 2018
EU: Commission issues evaluation of the European Works Council Directive and plans to publish a practical guide to improve its implementation
In a report published on 14 May, two year’s later than due, the European Commission offers an evaluation of the implementation of the European Works Council Directive (recast Directive 2009/38/EC)...
14 May 2018
Germany: Deustche Bahn’s ‘digital pact’ intends for employees to share in the digital transformation related productivity gains
At the end of March 2018 Deutsche Bahn’s social partners signed a framework agreement on digitalization for the German rail company and on the means for establishing a ‘sustainable transformation...
Finland: agreement in the construction sector concludes cycle of decentralised negotiations
The agreement that has been struck in Finland’s construction sector marks the end of a period of negotiations, in progress since the summer of 2017, over the main collective agreements covering...
In brief, agreement in principle reached in Luxembourg’s banking sector
On Friday 11 May, social partners in Luxembourg’s banking sector announced that they had reached an agreement in principle on a new collective agreement for banks, to run from 1 January 2018 to 31...
Italy: mixed picture for employment data amid political tensions
Companies under pressure, the burgeoning gig economy, more and more unpaid internships and a rising number of temporary employment contracts: all these elements combining at a time when Italy is...
Germany: Deutsche Bahn’s ITC subsidiary DB Systel is undergoing major digital change
Deutsche Bahn’s ITC specialist subsidiary DB Systel has launched a radical transformation in its work organization that will affect its 4,000 workers. Already underway, the process has impacted...
Norway: a 2.8% salary increase for the offshore sector
On 04 May 2018 an agreement that delivers benefits to workers on offshore oil platforms was concluded between Norsk Olje og Gas, the employers’ body that groups companies operating in the offshore...
Germany: Deutsche Post only signing permanent employment contracts with the healthy
At Deutsche Post good health is a criterion for temporary employees to transition to permanent employment contracts. Deutsche Post has confirmed the Sunday publication revelation that has spurred...
Argentina: 15% salary increase agreement for the banking sector
Following months of negotiations that were marked by strike action, an agreement to raise salaries by 15% has been struck between the banking sector unions, employers’ bodies, and the government...
United States: Californian court puts forward new criteria to distinguish independent contractors from employees
At the end of April, California’s Supreme Court ruled in longstanding case surrounding delivery company Dynamex when it came down in favor of independent contractors who were seeking employee...
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
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
3
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
4
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...