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EU: the Twenty-Seven divided over the right to strike and the principle of joint responsibility
Cost for joint responsibility.  Gathered on Tuesday and Wednesday, the social Ministers of the EU’s Member States had their first debate on the draft directive on the posting of workers (see our...
Spain: unions, associations and NGOs join forces to defend the Spanish social model
Civil society mobilizing.  Until now, the two big Spanish unions, UGT and Workers’ Commissions, organized street opposition to the plans of the Mariano Rajoy administration.  They called for...
Germany: CDU adds universal minimum wage to its program
The conservatives are converting.  The theme of the introduction of minimum wage has been the sea snake haunting Angela Merkel’s two terms.  After rejecting outright the idea of minimum wage –...
Ireland: social partners call for adjustments to the pension reform
Retirement age defined in the labor contract.  “The simple reality is that neither employers nor employees are prepared for the situation now facing them from 2014” Brendan McGinty, IBEC...
26 April 2012
Italy: it seems that the majority of unions have accepted the layoff reform
The interpretation of new Article 18 of the Statute of Workers is not unanimous.  The management of the CGIL, gathered on April 19 and the management of the Cisl, gathered the day before...
Germany: eurozone crisis causes Ford to appeal to short-time working
Short-time working for Ford.  The warning signs of another crisis in the automotive industry or simple, passing weakness?  Ford appealing to short-time working shows that Germany too is starting...
26 April 2012
Great Britain: conflict could be avoided thanks to negotiations between Unite and fuel tankers
The parties in the fuel tanker drivers’ dispute have continued to search for an agreement to resolve the dispute, putting off the onset of strike action on three occasions. After the announcement...
Austria: the biggest metal employers’ organization wants to secede for collective negotiations
The biggest sectoral federation wants to negotiate individually.  The fall collective bargaining session in the metal industry wasn’t supposed to start in the spring.  However, it is pretty much...
Germany: Sany, the Chinese group, grants employees at Putzmeister, German manufacturer of concrete pumps, job security until 2020
Concern in Germany.  It was in the media that, at the end of January, Putzmeister staff heard that their company was sold by its founder, Karl Schlecht, to Chinese billionaire Liang Wengen...
Netherlands: impact of the Mark Rutte administration’s fall
From employers’ point of view, the Mark Rutte administration is falling at the worst possible time.  The country is in the middle of recession, with unemployment growing (5.9 percent in March) and...
Germany: unions disagree on employers’ high salaries
Debate over employers’ high salaries.  In 2001, most German multinationals made a lot of profit.  And record profit means record pay.  Let’s give three examples only: Martin Winterkorn, CEO of...
24 April 2012
Italy: new Confindustria leader presents new team and new program
With 102 votes in favor, 21 against and 22 abstentions, Confindustria’s Giunta approved, on April 19, the program and team set up by Giorgio Squinzi, the organization’s new leader (see our...
United States: three American Airlines unions back US Airways’ offer
The lawyers of American Airlines (AMR) have an exclusive right until the end of September to present the Court with their project and try to secure the termination of the current labor contracts. ...
24 April 2012
Poland: Council of Ministers adopts bill bringing statutory retirement age to 67
The bill adopted by the Council of Ministers states that statutory retirement age will gradually start increasing in 2013 (one more month paying contributions each quarter), reaching 67 in 2020...
Sweden: launch of the mandatory certification, “working environment in construction firms”
Wages increases following manufacturing.  What is special with the construction agreement is that it was signed for 35 months – April 1, 2010-February 28, 2013.  This year’s agreement (March 1...
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EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
2
Italy: collective agreement for rubber and plastics sector focuses on new skills
A month ahead of schedule, the Federazione Gomma Plastica employers' organisation and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions have renewed the collective agreement for the rubber and...
5 January 2026
3
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026