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Italy: Poste Italiane Spa has come to an agreement with the unions over a new business and organizational model for its post-offices
The Italian post services group has reached an agreement with unions over a new business and organizational model to transform its post-offices across the country. The agreement significantly...
EU: the European Commission may present a new directive proposal on maternity leave
The European Commission had issued the Council of Ministers and the EU Parliament with an ultimatum: unless progress was made over negotiations before the end of June the Commission was going to...
25 June 2015
Finland: new wage agreement for 2016
The Finnish social partners including the employers’ confederation EK and the trade union confederations, SAK, AKAVA and STTK have agreed wage rises for 2016 within the framework of the growth and...
Germany: a quarter of Germany’s businesses are trying to retain staff who look to draw their pension at 63
A year after the pension reforms were introduced allowing workers with 45 years of contributions to draw a full pension at age 63 compared with 65 previously, the Institute for Employment Research...
Germany: the Strike Republic?
Ongoing strike action at Amazon, Deutsche Post, retail outlets, the Berlin Hospital of Charity, to name just some, upcoming strike action at Lufthansa, or long-term conflict threatening to erupt...
Denmark: latest elections show a dramatic increase in the number of workers elected to Parliament
Election results from June 18 show the Danish People’s party (Dansk Folkeparti) emerged as the country’s second largest political force and has contributed to increasing the number of workers in...
Sweden: a new agreement to develop the commerce sector
How can Sweden’s social model cater for e-commerce and the effects of globalization and yet still maintain its integrity? This was the central question that the agreement signed on June 15 2015...
Brazil: Dilma Rousseff’s tightening of access to retirement for long careers is just the start of more widespread reforms
On June 18, President Dilma Rousseff passed a presidential decree that tightens access to a full pension for those having worked long careers. If ratified by congress (required within 120 days of...
23 June 2015
Germany: Supermarket chain Real’s decision to no longer apply the sector’s collective agreements marks a new stage in their decline
Whilst collective agreements for some 3 million workers in the retail sector are in the throes of being negotiated, the German supermarket chain Real SB-Warenhaus GmbH that belongs to the Metro...
Spain: new collective agreement for the chemicals industry
On June 18, business leaders and unions have announced an agreement in principle on the sector’s 18th collective agreement. The sector’s majority union federations signed the document including...
Belgium: a new chemicals sector agreement puts a ‘demographic fund’ in place
As usual, the chemicals sector (CP 207) has opened Belgium’s sectoral collective agreement signing season. On June 08 the social partners agreed on a protocol and on June 16 the union bodies all...
Germany: conflict escalating at Deutsche Post as DPVKom joins strike action
10 days after services union Verdi went on indefinite strike at Deutsche Post DHL, DPVKom, the Post and Telecoms union, has announced it will join the action. The union started consultations on...
Italy: FS and Trenitalia sign an agreement with unions over common lines of action to combat assaults on personnel
On June 15, the transport unions concluded an agreement with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Spa (FS) and Trenitalia Spa* on common action to be taken to combat attacks on their personnel. Assaults...
Great Britain: Wages rising at fastest rate since the economic crisis
UK wages rose by a near 8-year record high of 2.7% between February and April compared with a year earlier.
Norway: a note on changes to the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven) coming into force on July 01
Despite fierce opposition and demonstrations from trade unions, the draft law changing several rules on the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven) was approved by the Norwegian parliament on...
17 June 2015
Sweden: negotiations set to restart over industry worker job security agreement (omställningsavtal)
Interrupted in December 2013 negotiations over the “omställningsavtal” agreement, between the PTK (federation of private sector administration employees) and the employers confederation Svenskt...
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1
EU: right and far right join forces in parliament to dismantle sustainability due diligence
On 13 November, the European Parliament approved the report by EPP MEP Jörgen Warborn on the proposed omnibus directive, clearing the way for trilogue negotiations. Backed by the far right, the...
13 November 2025
2
mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
3
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
4
Germany: EU pay transparency directive to force companies to ‘get tough’
Germany introduced a pay transparency law in 2017, meaning companies are already somewhat familiar with the issue. However, the broader scope and stricter requirements of the EU directive, the...
24 October 2025
5
France: cabinet adopts suspension of pension reform
On 23 October, the French Council of Ministers approved an amendment to the social security financing bill (PLFSS), confirming the suspension of the 2023 pension reform until 2028. This measure...
24 October 2025
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Carrefour and UNI Global Union renew global agreement on promoting social dialogue and diversity
On 17 October, Carrefour, one of the world’s largest retailers, with nearly 500,000 employees worldwide, and global union federation UNI Global Union renewed their global agreement on...