All articles

Sweden: unions are facing competition from private firms
How to offer union-like services without being a union.  Currently, there are two reasons why workers should join a union: their collective rights are defended and they get a multitude of other...
Denmark: large businesses and government are banking on CSR
The Commerce and Companies Agency (Erhvervs- og Selskabsstyrelsen) recently published an analysis on the impact of the “årsregnskabslov,” the law of December 16, 2008 which forces large businesses...
12 December 2011
EU: gas social partners officially ask the Commission to improve the social dimension of its future energy strategy
Initiatives.  “The recent proposals of the European Commission (…) do not take sufficient account of the profound changes in the energy industry and their impact on the companies, employment and...
Groupama: amendment adjusting the EWC agreement to the new European Directive
Information/consultation.  Thus, employee representatives are assured “information and consultation at appropriate level and in a timely manner.”  Information is defined as “the transmission of...
Germany: Postbank and Verdi put an end to their conflict on the transfer of employees to external companies
In Verdi’s eyes, this conflict on the transfer, announced last summer, of about 1,500 Postbank employees (out of 22,000) to external companies, within the framework of the DB’s takeover of...
Carrefour: the French company and UNI Global union create Carrefour Colombia union
Global agreement for the creation of Carrefour unions.  On December 1, 112 workers of Carrefour Colombia created their own union organization, called Unión de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de...
Portugal: new bill adding 30 minutes to the workday
f Ministers adopted a bill increasing the workday by 30 minutes in the private sector, with no financial compensation. (Ref. 110768) Private sector. The decision of the conservative Portuguese...
SAP: new agreement establishing a EWC
Atypical philosophy of employee representation.  After a two-year bargaining and thinking process, launched in 2009, SAP announced that a majority of the 29 members of the SNB agreed on the final...
EADS: new European agreement on the harmonization of the variable remuneration of Senior Managers
Senior Managers (L4) working in businesses where EADS holds over 50% of the capital in the countries where the country is primarily present (Germany, UK, Spain, France) are going to be subject to...
ArcelorMittal: what union strategy after European mobilization?
Investment.  Unions say there were 40,000 in Liege, Belgium – police say there were 15,000.  In Luxembourg, 95% off ArcelorMittal staff allegedly mobilized.  The ArcelorMittal also affected sites...
Italy: 45th Censis report on the country’s social situation
Employment changes.  The crisis slowed down in 2010 (153,000 jobs lost as opposed to 380,000 in 2009) and in 2011 (+0.4% employment boost in the first quarter).  However, permanent employment...
9 December 2011
Germany: Berlin transposes Directive 2009/50 on the “European Blue Card” six months late
Ideological jam, from the Green Card to the Blue Card.  Six months after the deadline to transpose Directive 2009/50/EC (see our dispatch No.  090671), Germany finally decided to transpose the...
France – Great Britain: union finances, a debate on both sides of the Channel
ce, the issue of union funding came (back) up in public debates in recent days. In the UK, it was the result of a report from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which led the Prime Minister to support...
EU: new report on the debate on the draft “intra-corporate transfer” and “seasonal workers” directives
to vote to allow their rapporteurs to negotiate, with the Council of EU Ministers, the draft directives on the intra-corporate transfer of third-country nationals and on the entry and residence of...
Germany: 4.6% wage increase in two installments in the paper industry
This year, union and employer negotiators in the paper industry (40,000 employees) started the collective negotiations for the renewal of an agreement expiring on November 30 with very different...
Romania: bargaining for mimimum wage increase
Possible increase from RON 670 up to RON 700.  On Tuesday, the center-right government told unions and employers that it was going to look into the possibility of increasing monthly minimum wage...
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
Spain: government seeks to strengthen protection for employee whistleblowers
On 28 July, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft bill aimed at providing legal protection to employees who report corruption or breaches of labour law, shielding them from potential...
27 August 2026
2
France: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
3
Germany: IG Metall demands 5% pay rise amid severe pressure
Despite the crisis hitting the automotive industry, the leadership of the German trade union IG Metall announced on Wednesday 23 September that it would be asking for a 5% pay increase as well as...
23 September 2026
4
Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
5
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
6
Slovakia: 6% increase in the minimum wage from 1 January 2027
The news. As Slovakia’s social partners failed to reach an agreement during tripartite negotiations, Labour Minister Erik Tomas has decided to increase the minimum wage by 6% from 1 January...
1 September 2026