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News update as of January 12, 2018
Germany/Hopes of a new government. Following five days of intense negotiations, three German party leaders – Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer of the CDU and CSU respectively, two conservative...
12 January 2018
Great Britain: an industrial strategy for the automotive sector
Following the first ‘Sector Deal’ for the Construction sector presented in November 2017, and the second, for the Life Sciences sector presented the following month in December 2017, on 10 January...
11 January 2018
Germany: more and more younger parents are opting for the ‘parental plus salary’
According to a report by the Families Ministry that the government adopted on 10 January 2018, the ‘parental plus salary’ provision (Elterngeld plus), which came into force on 01 July 2015, has...
11 January 2018
United States: New York association Fast Food Justice defending fast food sector employees
New York’s fast food workers have not managed to unionize. Introducing a trade union into a company is too long and complex a process. Until now, the sector’s major food chains including Mac...
11 January 2018
Greece: reform of the right to strike set for parliamentary vote on 15 January
Reform to the right to strike is just one of several pieces of legislation that the Greek parliament has to vote on before the Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting on 22 January. Greece’s trade...
11 January 2018
2018, a key year for the ILO’s Future of Work initiative
At the ILO’s 102nd plenary session in 2013, the Future of Work (FoW) initiative was chosen as one of seven central themes that would mark the tri-partite UN agency’s centenary in 2019. This...
10 January 2018
Switzerland: FAIRLOG, a new trade union platform in transport and logistics
During December 2017, the SEV, syndicom and Unia unions, all of which are wholly or partly involved with the transport and logistics sectors, established the FAIRLOG alliance as a way of better...
10 January 2018
News update as of January 9, 2018
On the menu: Spanish courts require companies to implement their equal pay plans for interim workers, German metals worker strike action is looming, Italy's Labor Ministry defines call center...
9 January 2018
France: labour law reform fully applicable from 1 January 2018
A set of 26 decrees to implement the five ordinances to reform France’s labour law (for detail, see article n°  10330) were published in the country’s Official Journal before the end of 2017, so...
8 January 2018
Italy: social measures contained in 2018 budget to foster employment of young people
Italy’s 2018 budget law was published on 29 December 2017 in the country’s official journal (Gazzetta Ufficiale). It contains permanent measures to reduce social security charges for individuals...
8 January 2018
ENGIE: signature of a new European agreement on professional equality between women and men
On 21 December 2017, ENGIE and the European Trade Union Federations IndustriAll Europe, EPSU and EFBWW signed a new European agreement extending that of June 2012 on professional equality between...
22 December 2017
EU: the EU Commission seeks to modernize employment contract rules
On 21 December, the EU Commission presented a Directive proposal that would modernize Directive 91/533 requiring employers to provide employees with written communication on essential elements of...
21 December 2017
France: backs the Global Deal initiative
On 17 November, during the Social Summit gathering in Gothenberg, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s backing for the Global Deal initiative that was launched in September 2016 by...
21 December 2017
Spain: Minimum wage to rise 4% on 01 January 2018
Spain’s government and social partners have agreed on a gradual rise in the inter-professional minimum monthly salary, which will rise from €707 over 14 months in 2017 to €736 over 14 months in...
21 December 2017
News update as of 20 December 2017
On the menu: In Great Britain labor tribunals are once again swamped with claims as legal fees are done away with for the second time, Belgium’s Labor Minister is looking to regulate email...
20 December 2017
Germany: minimum wage, gender pay equality, pensions, some of the changes set for 01 January 2018
While Germany still waits for a government and with the SPD party, in a U-turn, now agreeing to enter into preliminary discussion’ to extend the former ruling conservative-social democrat grand...
19 December 2017
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
Italy: collective agreement for rubber and plastics sector focuses on new skills
A month ahead of schedule, the Federazione Gomma Plastica employers' organisation and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions have renewed the collective agreement for the rubber and...
5 January 2026
2
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
3
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
4
EU: banking sector social partners commit to combating violence and harassment
On 15 January, the trade union federation UNI Europa Finance and three employers’ associations in the banking sector signed a joint statement on preventing violence and harassment in the...
5
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
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Italy: banking group Intesa Sanpaolo sharpens focus on quality of life at work
Over the Christmas period Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's largest bank, penned with trade unions a deal to renew the first part of the company agreement, covering work-life balance, inclusion, parenthood...
14 January 2026