All articles

Sweden: the union confederation LO fears a weakening in its position following a scandal affecting one of its unions (Kommunal)
“Inacceptable”. Such is the reaction of a large section of the Kommunal (Municipality employees) union’s membership, following revelations in the Aftonbladet daily publication over extravagant...
22 January 2016
News update as of 21 January 2016
On the menu this week: Italy’s main CGIL union launches a project for a “Universal labor rights charter” for all workers, subordinate or otherwise. France and Germany drive a revision to an EU...
21 January 2016
Germany: bolstered by increased membership numbers, the IG Metall union intends “to conquer the world of digital work”
On 20 January 2016, in Frankfurt, during the annual conference of the metals and electro-technical union IG Metall, its new president Jörg Hofman, announced that last year the organization had...
20 January 2016
ILO: weak employment, emerging and developing economies in chronically bad shape
Persistently high levels of global unemployment along with chronic levels of vulnerable employment in many emerging and developing economies continue to profoundly affect the world of work...
20 January 2016
Sweden: disparate claims from unions face a united employers’ front
Unions, presented separate demands from what is a fractured front, on the day before the start of negotiations. The two principal groups “Facken inom industri” (Union of industrial trade unions)...
20 January 2016
Putting online an agreement that established a single works council for two European companies; Christian Dior SE and LVMH SE
Two European companies with a single common personnel representation body. The arrangement to put a single works council in place was chosen in an agreement signed by Christian Dior SE and LVMH SE...
20 January 2016
Child labor: Amnesty International criticizes the lack of due diligence by big brand electronics and automobile names over mining conditions being used in producing their products
Major electronics and automobile brands have not been doing basic checks to ensure that their products do not include cobalt mined by children, criticized Amnesty International and African...
19 January 2016
Russia: employees suffering from a crisis in the automobile sector
Russia’s automobile sector is going through its worst crisis for fifteen years. According to the Association of European Businesses (AEB), new vehicles sales plunged by more than a third in 2015...
19 January 2016
Finland: shop opening hours liberalized
In a bid to boost the economy, Finland’s government has just fully liberalized shop trading hours that took effect from the start of 2016. Unions in the retail sector are however wary of a...
19 January 2016
France: President François Hollande launches his “urgent plan” to combat unemployment
On 18 January, France’s president unveiled a series of measures to leaders of both the unions and employer’ bodies aimed at stopping the country’s unemployment from accelerating. The measures...
18 January 2016
Norway: in the face of the oil crisis, unity is sacrosanct
Redundancy announcements in the oil sector continue and Statoil is no exception since a global cost cutting program it launched several years ago ahead of consequences from the expected oil crisis...
18 January 2016
Spain: a new framework agreement for ArcelorMittal restores some of the advantages workers had forgone at the height of the economic crisis
On 15 January, the CCOO, UGT, ELA, and LAB unions announced they had concluded an agreement in principle on ArcelorMittal’s fifth framework agreement. Following years of effort by the company’s...
18 January 2016
Italy: CGIL, Cisl, and Uil put forward a new industrial relations model
On 14 January 2015, the executives at the CGIL, Cisl, and Uil union confederations approved a project for a new industrial relations model called “A modern industrial relations system. Towards...
18 January 2016
INOVYN: signature of an agreement to establish a European Works Council
The Solvay–Ineos joint venture has only recently got off the ground yet the chlorovinyls enterprise has already set up a European Works Council (EWC). On 07 January 2016 the agreement, negotiated...
14 January 2016
Great Britain: ACAS sounds the warning bell over bullying and harassment at work
The conciliation and arbitration service ACAS is warning that workplace harassment is a growing phenomenon in the UK and is calling on companies to change how they tackle the problem.
14 January 2016
News update as of 13 January 2016
Summary: protection for the right to a private life and instant messages (ECHR), French workers jailed for detaining bosses during a social conflict, Dutch metals negotiations at a standstill, an...
13 January 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
Argentina: government unveils labour reform
Argentina's ultra-liberal president Javier Milei wants to "modernise labour" with a new reform that has been greeted with opposition from trade unions. Submitted to the Senate on 11 December, the...
6 January 2026
2
TRENDS IN 2026 — Reducing workplace absence at all costs: a major challenge for Europe
Workplace absence is on the rise across Europe, particularly among women, older employees and, since the Covid-19 pandemic, young people under the age of 30. Faced with this growing problem, some...
14 January 2026
3
Spain: government wants 3.1% minimum wage hike
Spain's ministry of labour has informed the social partners of its intention to raise the minimum wage to €1,221 gross per month. This increase is expected to be approved by the Council of...
8 January 2026
4
Poland: reform introduces possibility of working for another employer while on sick leave
On 7 January, the President of Poland promulgated an amendment to the country’s social insurance act. The reform aims to clarify the activities permitted during sick leave, so that...
5
Vincent Lecerf (Orange): “Equality and diversity are competitive advantages for us”
Following the signing of a new agreement on professional equality and diversity in December, the chief HR officer of French multinational telecommunications corporation Orange Group, Vincent...
13 January 2026
6
France: Crédit Agricole signs first independent agreement on disability
On 8 December, French banking group Crédit Agricole and three of the four representative trade unions (CFE-CGC, CFDT and FO) in France signed a disability agreement for the period...