All articles

Italy : industry social partners conclude an agreement for collective bargaining reform
Following 18 months of discussions, Confindustria president, Vincenzo Boccia and the secretaries general of the Cgil, Cisl, and Uil unions came to agreement on 28 February over a text that is set...
Brexit: the UK concedes on European citizens’ rights whilst still firmly rejecting first draft of the treaty
On 28 February, and based on the initial agreement signed in December 2017, a draft Brexit treaty drawn up by the EU and for the first time formulated in legal text was presented in Brussels (c.f...
1 March 2018
France: a certification by the Statutory Auditor used to determine a profit-share reserve cannot be called into question as part of litigation over the profit-share, even when the employee representatives expose company fraud
In a decision handed down on 28 February 2018, the Labor Division of France’s highest appeals court, the Chambre sociale de la Cour de Cassation, quashed without referral a February 2016 decision...
1 March 2018
United States: joint-employer status is ‘back in business’
A key ruling dating from December 2017 by the Republican dominated NLRB federal agency (National Labor Relations Board) on joint-employer status has been thrown out, because one of the five voting...
28 February 2018
General Electric puts a EWC structure in place comprising a central committee and business committees to fit GE’s multiple business operations companies structure
These EWC negotiations had a number of goals, not least to learn from the GE acquisition of Alstom’s energy business and provide representation for all European employees within the group’s...
28 February 2018
The Global Deal à la Française emphasizes international social dialogue
Launched in September 2016 by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, the Global Deal initiative seeks to use social dialogue as the vector to restate and rebalance the economic and social dimension...
27 February 2018
EU: the European Trade Union Institute calls for collective, organised working time reduction
The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) has honed its focus on the issue of reducing working time. During a lunch/debate held on 22 February in Brussels, the independent research and training...
26 February 2018
ECHR: employers are free to check computer files not labelled as “private”
On 22 February, the European Court of Human Rights lent its backing to the stance adopted by the French Court of Cassation, which ruled that an employer may check worker files without their...
26 February 2018
Estonia: an historic agreement for the finance sector
Although the agreement that was finally secured took three years of negotiations between the EFTL (recently formed Estonian Financial Sector Employees) and Luminor Bank (the Baltic region’s third...
26 February 2018
News update as of February 22, 2018
On the menu : two ECJ rulings (Stand-by time and working time- Protection for pregnant women and collective redundancy), a study examining if companies are actually addressing ethnic diversity in...
22 February 2018
Germany: Volkswagen staff set to receive a 4.3% pay rise and a revaluation of their company pensions
In Hanover on the evening of 20/21 February 2018 difficult negotiations came to a successful conclusion between Volkswagen management and the IG Metall union; negotiations which for the first time...
21 February 2018
Italy: pharma-chemicals social partners establish a fund aimed at facilitating generational renewal
Named TRIS (Tutele, Riqualificazione, Innovazione, Sostegno – Protection, Retraining, Innovation, Assistance), this solidarity fund was established during the week of February 12 by the...
21 February 2018
Poland: government presents a new mandatory retirement savings Plan
According to the government’s projected plan, all complies will be required to put a Retirement Savings (Capital) Plan in place for their staff members. These plans will be co-financed by the...
21 February 2018
News update as of February 20, 2018
On the menu : recommendations for French businesses on how to support employees’ career paths following the end of their mandates that result from recent reforms to employee representation...
20 February 2018
Cargill: agreement signed on the establishment of an EWC, under 2009 directive
The agreement establishing the European Works Council at Cargill was signed on 7 February by the US food and agriculture corporation. The anticipation agreement that previously governed the...
European Works Council: company management can take action before its EWC gives it opinion, according to the UK’s Central Arbitration Committee
In a decision published on 12 February, the UK’s Central Arbitration Committee said that management does not have to wait for the EWC to give its opinion before taking action at national or local...
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...