All articles

China: controversy surrounding the announced reform of the law on employment contracts
A new cycle of economic reforms is being undertaken against a backdrop of a slowdown in the country’s economy and emerging criticism over high levels of protection being offered to workers. Eights...
105th ILO international labor conference sets out a roadmap to guarantee decent work in global supply chains
The ILO international conference was held from 30 May to 10 June. One of the key topics increasingly gaining prominence was the issue of decent work in global supply chains and this conference...
13 June 2016
EU: a new series of measures to boost skills in Europe
On 10 June the European Commission presented a new and comprehensive Skills Agenda for Europe in a bid to boost skills acquisition and use. The measures include a ‘Skills Guarantee’ so that every...
10 June 2016
Austria: new Chancellor to introduce a new ‘machines’ tax in a bid to boost employment and businesses
On 17 May Austria’s newly appointed Chancellor, Christian Kern promised a ‘New Deal’ for the country with an ‘Agenda 2025’ for its employees and social partners. Although too soon to know all the...
Great Britain: oil workers looking to strike over pay
The Unite, GMB, and RMT unions have called on hundreds of workers with the Wood Group oil services giant to vote over strike action in defense of their pay. The call indicates the extent to which...
Italy: national collective agreements leading to regional inequalities
National collective agreements governing Italy’s salaries are fostering inequalities in terms of purchasing power and benefiting workers from the South. Thus are the conclusions of a study...
Finland: government secures an annual increase in working time of 24 hours with no change in pay that will apply to the 300 sector agreements
Following the agreement in March 2016 over the government’s proposed competitiveness pact, which freezes salaries until 2017, raises annual working time by twenty-four hours, lowers the public...
Japan: record numbers of foreign workers mark a turning point in the country’s labor market
According to the Labor Ministry data, for the very first time, the number of foreigners working in Japan is expected to exceed the one million mark. This is a major turning point in the country’s...
9 June 2016
EU: a reform to attract more highly qualified non-European migrants
On 07 June the European Commission presented a proposal to reform the European system of residency and working permits for highly skilled migrants originating from countries outside the EU (under...
8 June 2016
Turkey: an agreement is signed with a group of businesses in the textile sector
On 03 June, TEKSIF, Turkey’s main textile trade unions signed a three-year agreement with 26 big businesses in the sector that will raise salaries and bonuses for the 9,000 members of the union...
Denmark: Siemens Wind Power and Arbejdstilsynet (Danish Professional Environmental authority) both tarnished by an epoxide scandal
Since 2012, Siemens Wind Power, along with some 4,000 other Danish businesses has been proudly boasting the Arbejdstilsynet green smiley (Kronesmiley) that recognizes a high quality-working...
Poland: a union for immigrant Ukrainian workers
On 20 May in Katowice, Poland, Ukrainian workers decided to establish their own union with support from the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions, the OPZZ. This will mark the first ever migrant...
Spain: AndBank signs Spain’s first ever financial sector professionalism agreement
Signed on 02 June between the CCOO union and AndBank, a private bank headquartered in Andorra that has been operating in Spain since 2012, the landmark agreement is the first to set out the...
Great Britain: Uber drivers strike over pay
On 06 June roughly 1,000 drivers with the high profile private hire transport company, Uber, stepped on the brakes for a 24 hour work stoppage in Birmingham in protest at reductions in passenger...
EU: interview with Claire Toumieux and Emmanuelle Bartoli, partner and senior associate respectively at the international law firm Allen & Overy with expertise in the HR impacts of new European regulations on personal data protection
Together, Claire Toumieux who heads the Paris employment law department, and Emmanuelle Bartoli who specializes in personal data protection matters provide some perspective, in terms of HR...
6 June 2016
Spain: auto sector’s competitiveness agreements starting to yield results
Spain’s unions are thrilled. Against a backdrop of a slow improvement in the country’s labor market, albeit still with more than 20% unemployment, the auto sector continues to make good progress...
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: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
2
Germany: IG Metall demands 5% pay rise amid severe pressure
Despite the crisis hitting the automotive industry, the leadership of the German trade union IG Metall announced on Wednesday 23 September that it would be asking for a 5% pay increase as well as...
23 September 2026
3
Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
4
Slovakia: 6% increase in the minimum wage from 1 January 2027
The news. As Slovakia’s social partners failed to reach an agreement during tripartite negotiations, Labour Minister Erik Tomas has decided to increase the minimum wage by 6% from 1 January...
1 September 2026
5
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
6
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 2026