All articles

Opel: the carmaker’s European employee representatives united against possible future site closures
Standing united.  Wolfgang Nettelstroth, spokesman for the IG-Metall metalworkers’ union in North Rhine-Westphalia, told Planet Labor that all of Opel’s European employee representatives agreed on...
Great Britain: age discrimination can be justified on cost grounds
Discrimination on the grounds of age can be justified on economic considerations.  Nigel Woodcock, formerly chief executive at Cumbria Primary Care Trust, was made redundant in 2007 following an...
Italy: details of the draft labor market reform adopted by the Council of Ministers
Types of contracts.  While aiming to promote stable employment, the government maintains the flexible contracts it deems “necessary to effectively face economic change and restructurings.” ...
France/Switzerland: method agreement to save jobs at the Basel-Mulhouse airport businesses threatened to leave after a court ruling imposing French mandatory provisions for contracts under the Swiss labor law
The stakes were high as the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport is considered as the second largest employer in the region after Peugeot.  Although they are located in France, businesses operating in the...
Germany: Finance Ministry, employers and unions sign a pact against hidden labor in the textile industry
Fighting illegal labor together.  In the pact’s foreword, Wolfgang Schäuble, German Minister of Finance, said that fighting against hidden and illegal labor was a “priority” for the federal...
Great Britain: mobilization against the public sector pension reforms continues but cannot seem to find its gravity center
It was from amongst these unions that the 28 March date was identified as the next date for coordinated strike action. In the run up to the intended national strike, these unions carried out...
Belgium: parental leave goes from 3 up to 4 months
Ministers adopted a draft royal decree planning to add one month to parental leave, in keeping with Directive 2010/18 which provides for four months’ parental leave. The draft also...
Italy: mobilization against the reform of Article 18 is starting
Today, March 23, the 10th anniversary of the large demonstration the CGIL organized against the reform of Article 18, forcing the then Berlusconi administration to withdraw the bill, the Council...
Sweden: negotiations in steel and metal are over
“Red” agreement.  Agreements are given a defined color depending on the businesses they affect.  The “red” agreement (röda avtal) is for private  undertakings affiliated with the Stål och Metall...
EU: Advocate General Mengozzi invites the ECJ to maintain jurisprudence on the time at which the obligation to consult arises in case of collective redundancies
Unclear jurisprudence.  In this case, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales asked the ECJ clarify its jurisprudence on the time at which the obligation to consult workers’ representatives...
Italy: Giorgio Squinzi, new President of the Confindustria employers’ organization
“My goal is to be everyone’s President” Giorgio Squinzi said at a press conference yesterday morning, March 22, after he was elected as the new President of the Confindustria employers’...
Austria: spring collective bargaining schedule in the industry
The PRO-GE and GPA-djp unions released their schedule for the spring collective negotiations in manufacturing.  They affect about 120,000 employees.  As negotiations in the electrical and...
EU: interviewe of Romuald Jagodzinski, ETUI researcher and coordinator of the 2012 Benchmarking Working Europe edition, the report of the European Trade Union Institute on the Europe 2020 strategy
Romuald Jagodzinski. First, the study shows that inequality is not only a matter of income inequality. Inequality is multidimensional. There are inequalities between generations, between specific...
22 March 2012
Germany: Employment Minister wants to make it easier to combine work and retirement more flexible for people on early retirement
Additional income allowed.  According to the German press, Ursula von der Leyen’s bill provides for more flexible conditions to combine work and retirement for people on early retirement...
Austria: temporary work agencies angry at temporary work bill
Measures which could cost businesses a lot.  The temporary work bill, currently at the center of heated debates in Austria, should serve to transpose the directive on equal treatment between...
Italy: consultation on labor law reform ends with another union break
Mario Monti, President of the Italian Council, said, “It will be the government’s reform, and we will be liable for it before Parliament.”  His ‘technical’ government could succeed where...
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
EU: MEPs demand directive on algorithmic management
Members of the European Parliament have called for a directive on algorithmic management. Such legislation would introduce obligations for companies to inform employees, assess health and safety...
17 December 2025
2
France: minimum wage to rise by 1.18% on 1 January
On 12 December, the French government announced a 1.18% increase in the minimum wage, taking effect on 1 January 2026. The pay level will rise from €1,802 to €1,823 gross per month (for...
16 December 2025
3
United Kingdom: Parliament finally passes Employment Rights Bill
The UK Labour government's flagship reform of employment rights was passed by both houses on 16 December after a turbulent parliamentary process. The bill introduces numerous changes to labour...
18 December 2025
4
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
5
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...
6
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