All articles

United States: California enacts a law making businesses responsible for subcontractors’ employees
On Sunday September 28 the Governor of the State of California announced that he had signed a piece of legislation making businesses liable when their subcontractors violate certain rules in the...
1 October 2014
Italy: Lavazza decides to do away with collective agreements operating at its principal place of business
Last week Lavazza announced it was looking to overhaul company agreements, in place since 1972, at its principal premises, the ‘historic’ Settimo Torinese factory. This is to make way for the new...
30 September 2014
EU: Directive on disclosure of non-financial information adopted
On September 29, 2014 the EU Council of Ministers adopted the Directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information. Large companies, banks and insurance companies, each with more...
30 September 2014
International: the union federation IndustriALL has launched a new publication to help members confront precarious work
In response to the expansion of precarious work as one of the biggest threats facing unions, IndustriALL has launched a publication aimed at promoting collective negotiation as a tool in the fight...
29 September 2014
Sweden:  agreement to include final year internships for students in the real estate sector
On September 4, 2014, the partners in the real estate sector agreed on a program of student cooperation: “studentmedarbetareavtal”. This initiative originates from Denmark where for a long time...
29 September 2014
Lithuania: several modifications to articles in the labor code
In spring 2014, several amendments to the labor code were adopted.  These changes concern provisions over both collective relations (specifically on the right to strike) and individual relations...
29 September 2014
South Africa: the extension of the metals industry wage agreement goes before the courts because of unresolved power plays among employers
A metal industry wage agreement was signed this summer after a one-month strike. The agreement will apply for the next 3 years,  considered to be a very long period in this sector. The agreement ...
26 September 2014
Italy: the leader of Cisl, the country’s second largest union confederation, resigns early
On September 24, 2014, Raffaele Bonanni head of  the Cisl union since 2006 submitted his resignation saying his decision was motivated by the need for internal renewal “necessary in these times of...
26 September 2014
Austria: collective-contract talks in the Metal sector kick off this autumn amid employers fundamental concerns
On September 25, 2014, collective wage negotiations started in the metal industry and will set the standard for Austria’s future wage trends. As has been the case for the past 2 years, each of the...
26 September 2014
Germany: Amazon turns a deaf ear to Verdi union demands despite renewed strike action
After 3 days of strikes (from Monday September 22 to Wednesday September 24) and for the first time hitting 5 separate Amazon facilities, the German services union Verdi sees the action as having...
25 September 2014
Portugal: the minimum wage that has been frozen since 2011 now rises by 20 euros to 505 euros
After intense negotiations, the social partners agreed a rise in the national minimum wage (SMN). As of October 1, 2014 it will go up from 485 euros to 505 euros per month.  To ease the financial...
25 September 2014
Belgium: a shock campaign by the FGTB condemning the misuse of daily agency contracts
By announcing, to a fanfare of publicity the launch of a new daily contract recruitment agency, only to disclose that that the agency was in a fact a hoax, the FGTB had decided to organize a shock...
25 September 2014
Italy: unions up in arms over the proposal to do away with Article 18 of the Labor Code, as it becomes the focus of government proposals to overhaul the code
On September 23, 2014, the Italian government presented, before the Senate, draft enabling legislation that would completely overhaul the country’s labor law. The focus is on abolishing Article 18...
24 September 2014
Corporate Practice: how the German family run company VILSA-Brunnen helps its older staff take up, for the first time, professional vocational training
Can we go back to school after more than 20 years spent in a factory filling bottles. What are the benefits and challenges of such an approach for both the employee and the employer? During the...
EU: signature of a joint declaration on gender equality in the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Telecoms
On September 22, 2014, the European Social partners in the telecoms sector: UNI Europe (representing employees) and ETNO - the European Telecommunications Network Operators (representing...
24 September 2014
Great Britain: the dearth in qualified staff is a time bomb for companies
Employers in Britain are starting to feel the effects of a lack of skilled workers. For some years now the country has been tackling the problem of skills shortages.  A recent government report...
24 September 2014
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
Italy: new collective agreement for managers in tertiary sector
On 5 November, the ManagerItalia union and the employers’ association Confcommercio renewed the collective agreement for managers in Italy’s tertiary, distribution and services...