All articles

India: Aadhaar identity number a boon for HR departments but a source of worry for defenders of civil liberties
The Aadhaar is a unique identity number linked to individuals’ demographic and biometric information. With no identity card system in place in India, this unique identity number allows more and...
2 November 2017
Finland: country set for a wave of collective agreements allowing greater flexibility via company-level deals
On 30 October, the Finnish Industrial Union (Teollisuusliitto), formerly the metalworkers’ union, announced that it has negotiated a new collective agreement with the sector’s employer...
2 November 2017
Switzerland: innovative collective agreement signed at retail group Coop
On Wednesday 27 October, social partners at Switzerland’s second-largest retail/wholesale group Coop presented a new collective labour agreement, which will apply from 2018 until 2021. This...
31 October 2017
Slovenia: Mini Labour Reform enacted
The Slovene parliament adopted the so called "Mini Labour Reform" by enacting amendments to the Labour Regulations Act and the Labour Inspection Act. This reform does not include amendments to the...
31 October 2017
News update as of October 30, 2017
On the menu : Catalonian independence row causes exodus of firms, BusinessEurope prepared to negotiate revision to the Written Statement Directive, Bill to reduce the pay gap between men and women...
30 October 2017
United States: AFL CIO union federation backs President Trump’s NAFTA negotiations
Leaders of the union federation AFL-CIO that groups some 56 unions have converged on some areas in the NAFTA renegotiations
26 October 2017
Italy: banking social partners institute a bilateral commission on responsible selling of financial products
The ‘code of good conduct’ signed in February 2017 by both the banking employers’ body (ABI- Associazione Bancaria Italiana) and the trade unions (FABI, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, UGL, Uilca, and...
26 October 2017
Lithuania: a tri-partite agreement aimed at giving fresh impetus to the country
On 16 October the government, together with employers and unions signed an agreement that intends for several reforms, especially as regards developing collective bargaining and making the country...
26 October 2017
France: the government presents its roadmap for apprenticeships, vocational training and unemployment insurance
This roadmap is the ‘second stage in renewing the social model’ after the first reform of the Labor Code stage, and as sought by President Emmanuel Macron. Following discussions with the social...
25 October 2017
Austria: landmark alignment of blue collar and employee employment status
On 25 October, Austria’s Federal Council, the Bundesrat, confirmed changes made, during the final Council of Ministers session on 12 October by the then outgoing government prior to the elections...
25 October 2017
The third UN working group session on a proposed binding business and human rights treaty gets to the heart of the matter
The Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises that is tasked with developing a binding instrument on multinational enterprises’...
25 October 2017
Denmark: Sweden and Denmark agree Post Danmark bailout package
Officially the term used was ‘relief’ but the agreement struck between Sweden and Denmark that pulls Post Danmark back from the brink of bankruptcy involved complicated negotiations, not least...
25 October 2017
EU: European Commission to present a social fairness and equity package in 2018
In spring 2018, the European Commission intends to present a series of legislative and non-legislative measures supporting social fairness. The package will tackle the challenges of labor mobility...
24 October 2017
EU: difficult compromise agreement secured on the posting of workers directive
Meeting in Luxembourg, on the evening of 23 October, and after twelve long hours of discussions, Europe’s Employment and Social Affairs Ministers finally came to a compromise agreement on reform...
24 October 2017
Germany: ‘culture clash’ between Tesla Grohmann automation and IG Metall concludes with compromise
For several months a tough struggle has been underway between the German trade union IG Metall and the US electric automaker Tesla, which in 2016, bought the small German company Grohmann...
Great Britain: government to begin refunding employment tribunal fees
In July 2017 the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on a case brought by the trade union Unison held that the controversial Government’s 2013 employment tribunal fees system (c.f. article No. 10321) was...
24 October 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.
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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
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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
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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...
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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