All articles

Spain: the UGT union confederation establishes one large industry federation within its ranks and similar moves are on the cards for its services federations
The UGT central union confederation has embarked upon its reorganization program by merging its currently operating federations with an end goal of leaving just three mega-federations covering...
Great Britain: the construction industry’s union blacklist scandal comes to a close with millions paid in compensation
In excess of £10 million (€12.6 million) is set to be paid out to 256 workers in an agreement reached on 09 May between the Unite union and various construction companies, finally putting an end...
Greece: pension reform vote amid continued protest
On Sunday 08 May, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras fast tracked a vote by parliament on pension reforms. On the eve of an important Eurogroup meeting, Athens is striving to look good so that...
9 May 2016
Chile: government tries to save the essence of its labor law reform after the Constitutional Tribunal orders changes to be made
President Michelle Bachelet’s executive has had to backtrack on some of its labor law reform that looked to strengthen the role of trade unions (c.f. article No. 9601) that to date have been...
9 May 2016
Great Britain: the highly controversial and modified Trade Union Bill is now ready to become law
After a series of defeats and concessions, the Conservative government’s Trade Union Bill has finished its passage through parliament and is now ready to gain royal assent so that it becomes the...
4 May 2016
News update as of 4 May 2016
EU : on 04 May the EU Official Journal published regulations governing personal data protection
4 May 2016
EU: interview with Oliver Röthig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europa, the European services workers union
UNI Europa held its conference from 14-16 March in Rome where 800 delegates gathered together to discuss ways stronger trade unions can change Europe via more powerful negotiating and promoting...
2 May 2016
EU: European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) presents a European Quality Framework for Apprenticeships
On Tuesday 26 April, the ETUC presented twenty quality standards for apprenticeships in Europe. This initiative presented by the union confederation in conjunction with Unionlearn (the education...
2 May 2016
Germany: employers and unions launch a joint initiative to adapt occupational training to the challenges of ‘Industry 4.0’
Does the content of both the metals and electro-technical sectors’ initial and continuous occupation training programs actually suit the needs of industry’s future needs, i.e. of ‘Industry 4.0’?...
29 April 2016
France: next week the National Assembly deputies commence studying the labor law reform draft against a backdrop of union mobilization
On Thursday 28 April, more than 170,000 demonstrated against the draft labor law reform that is set for debate next week in the National Assembly. Seven unions calling for the text to be withdrawn...
29 April 2016
Norway: agreement for the postal sector
In just 48 hours the Norsk Transportarbeiderforbund (NTF/ Norwegian transport workers) together with the employers’ body NHO Logistikk og Transport (NHO LT) struck an agreement covering several...
29 April 2016
Estonia and the Nordic countries: employers look to promote immigration
Welcome to Estonia! This was the banner slogan under which the country’s confederation of employers’, Eesti Tööandjate Keskliit’s annual conference was held at the beginning of March and which...
28 April 2016
Sweden: a roundup of the 2016 collective agreement negotiations
‘Much ado about nothing’. Thus Sweden’s 2016 round of negotiations come to calm close after having commenced amid much hot air and controversy. Recalcitrant unions toed the line and kept to the...
28 April 2016
Nokia: puts a support package in place for workers laid off after mass redundancies
As expected, Nokia’s acquisition of Franco-American rival Alcatel-Lucent has had significant social consequences. Although the Finnish group did not provide any global figures beyond 1,300 job...
Netherlands: PostNL postal workers conclude collective agreements over pay and working conditions
PostNL management and the trade unions FNV Public Interest, Union of Postal Employees, CNV Public Services and VHP2 have reached an agreement in principle over pay and working conditions for...
27 April 2016
Norway: towards more senior women in the oil and gas sector
The Nordic Research Institute, Norut has just published a study* on gender representation and influence in the oil and gas sector, which was commissioned by the employers’ body OLF and follows up...
27 April 2016
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
France: Decathlon introduces a ‘duty to respect others’ right to disconnect’
A right-to-disconnect agreement was signed in late September for the French arm of the Decathlon sports retail group. It sets out a "duty to respect others’ right to disconnect" and provides...
14 November 2025
2
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
3
France: construction sector turns to long-term partial activity scheme
Amid the ongoing economic crisis hitting France’s construction sector, social partners in the public works industry (350,000 employees) signed an agreement at the end of October enabling companies...
21 November 2025
4
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
5
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
6
Ireland: 2026-2030 action plan launched to promote collective bargaining
Irish employment minister Peter Burke announced on 5 November the launch of the Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining 2026–2030. Developed jointly with the Irish Congress of Trade...