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Nordic countries: unions and governments are thinking about the Nordic social system of the future
Stakes for the Nordic system.  Nordic system means Welfare State with a global social security system, high taxes and strong unions.  Some also add gender equality and ambitious environmental...
22 February 2012
Spain : commentary of the latest labor reform
ment, with the support of the Spanish people, the Mariano Rajoy administration promised to go through with the labor market reform even if it committed to keep on exchanging with the social...
21 February 2012
Great Britain: recent statistics on strikes show considerable increase
Overall strike activity has sunk to an all time low of just 92 strikes in 2010 with a mere 132,000 workers involved and 365,000 days not worked. In 2009, there were 98 strikes involving 209,000...
Belgium: government adopts preliminary draft transposing the temporary work directive
A press release issued by the Council of Ministers explains that the draft bill transposes the three provisions contained in Directive 2008/104 (see our dispatch No.  080986): 
Romania: end of the Electrolux strike
Back to work.  This morning, after 20 days of strike, Electrolux’s Satu Mare plant reopened its doors and normal activity resumed (see our dispatch No.  120099).  For 20 days, production had been...
Germany: IG-Metall accuses BMW of excessively using temporary work
77,000 employees, 11,000 agency workers.  Since January 1, 2012, temporary employees receive sectoral minimum wage (see our dispatch No.  110795).  However, for the IG-Metall, this precarious form...
20 February 2012
EU: UNI Europa and Postal Euromed sign a cooperation agreement
Revolutions.  Created in 2007, Postal Euromed, which gathers operators from 14 Mediterranean countries, is in line with the EU’s Barcelona process, notably aiming to improve economic cooperation...
20 February 2012
Great Britain: the conflict with the seven subcontracting construction firms who left the joint industry board is fading down
The conflict is the result of the attempt by a group of seven large electrical contracting employers to simultaneously cut wage rates by up to 30% and establish a new bargaining forum. The attempt...
EU: changes introduced by the draft regulation on the protection of private data in labor relations
Commission adopted a draft regulation on the protection of data which deeply reviews existing rules. Ariane Mole, Partner at the Bird & Bird law firm, has agreed to tell Planet Labor about the...
20 February 2012
Henkel: the German group banks on a work culture focused on performance, not the time spent in the office
An old tradition.  The group, which employs nearly 48,000 people in 125 countries, has been committed to families since… 1940! In the middle of the war, the company created its first corporate...
17 February 2012
Italy: intensifying movement against the new national banking collective agreement
Dissent over the agreement renewing the banking collective agreement signed on January 19 (see our dispatch No.  120046) is reaching “unprecedented levels” among signing unions and non-union...
EU: European Commission adopts White Paper on pensions
Possible reforms.  The European Commission still believes it is urgent, in spite of the reforms that have already come into force, to adapt pension schemes to demographic ageing and to its impact...
Germany: after one year waiting, the government coalition agrees on the draft law on the protection of employees’ private data
The agreement signed last week by the experts of the government coalition parties on the bill for the protection of employees’ private data is shortly going to put an end to a particularly long...
United States: Apple still under pressure because of working conditions at its Chinese suppliers
Even though Apple’s last report on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among its suppliers, which includes a very thorough list of the said companies, was of unprecedented clarity for the...
16 February 2012
Italy: Confindustria employers’ organization kicks off the procedure for the election of its future President
On Monday, February 13, the Committee of the “Three Wise Men” (Luigi Attanasio, Antonio Bulgheroni and Catervo Cangiotti) officially launched the procedure for the succession of Emma Marcegaglia...
Germany: 2.7 percent wage increase for Vattenfall’s 15,000 employees
Initially, the wage committee of the three unions (IG BCE, IG-Metall and Verdi) was asking for a 6 percent wage increase, the extension of the job security agreement until 2018, and a new...
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
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...
4
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...
5
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...
6
France: Adecco steps up commitment to temporary workers with disabilities
On 9 September, temporary work agency Adecco France and representative trade unions signed a new open-ended agreement to support the recruitment and retention of temporary workers with...
18 November 2025