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United States: UWUA union wants to talk environment with GDF Suez
Usually, unionists, especially in the US, restrict themselves to industrial relations in the company, but “we are extremely devoted to green issues” declared Mark Brooks, UWUA representative in...
5 April 2011
Belgium: interview of Nico Cué, general secretary of the MWB-FGTB Wallonia-Brussels Metalworkers’ Federation
Nico Cué.  In Belgium, we negotiate collective agreements at cross-industry level.  The starting point is a report by the Central Economic Council (Conseil Central de l’Economie, CCE), composed of...
Netherlands: postal businesses promise to hire 80% of their current daily mailmen
An agreement in principle was reached in the postal sector on April 1st: Selekt Mail, Sandd and VSP Netwerk, the delivery subsidiary of TNT Post (the former public post) agreed to hire, with a...
Italy: unitary transport strike paralyzed cities across the country
“Homologous and nearly total mobilization.”  Unions declare an average turnout of 100% in Naples and Benevento, 95% in Genoa, Imperia and Turin, 94% in Venice and Mestre, 90% in Rome, Bari...
Great Britain: debate over county court reform to reduce costs for businesses
Context.  Two many unlawful legal requests introduced among county courts, long and expensive trials, especially for businesses which bear major and disproportionate costs: these are the reason...
United States: United Auto Workers ranks grew by 6% in one year
In 2009, there were only 355,191 members, the lowest level since the 1940s, when the union was created.  This number was well below its peak of 1.5 million members in 1979.  Bob King, new UAW...
Areva: new European agreement on forecasting and anticipating employment and competences
To prepare employees to anticipate and manage their career evolution, the group commits, with this agreement, to provide employees with visibility on evolutions within careers and professions via...
Denmark: the working conditions of ‘atypical’ workers have been worsening for ten years
Agency workers in manufacturing, seasonal workers in agriculture, occasional on-call workers (løsarbejderen)… atypical contracts (atypisk ansættelsesform) allegedly concern half a million...
31 March 2011
Romania: talks started on the reform of collective industrial relations
This new bill is going to finalize the labor law reform undertaken by the Emil Boc administration (about the Labor Code reform, see our dispatch No.  110202).
Spain: agreement on flexible pay in Catalonian metal industry
The metal employers’ organization and the Workers’ Commissions and UGT unions agreed to establish an equal committee for the collective agreement, with mediation from the Department for Business...
Germany: 4.1% increase for chemical workers
Agreement difficult to find but differentiated.  It was after nine meetings at regional level and one at federal level that the chemistry partners, gathered in Bad Honnef, near Bonn, reached a...
EU: European social partners agree to negotiate the review of the working time directive but disagree on the extent of the negotiation
A wide scope for the ETUC.  First to publicly speak about the project, thus causing a stir, the ETUC immediately announced that it envisioned a wide review of the working time directive in order...
Italy: metal unions sign unitary agreement with Electrolux on restructuring program in Italy
The agreement signed between the Swedish multinational and the Fim-Cisl, Fiom-CGIL and Uilm-Uil: 
31 March 2011
Germany: large businesses refuse the government’s proposal to increase the proportion of executive women
Mrs. von der Leyen and Mrs. Schröder tried putting on a brave face after a meeting which should have led to a change of direction regarding the integration of women into the management of German...
31 March 2011
Sweden: since temporary work is progressing, unions and temporary agencies are looking for ways to work together
A development which might frighten unions.  Over the last 2010 quarter, temporary work agencies’ sales had increased by 42%, reaching, for the first time, SEK 5bn (€560M) and there should be...
Germany: is bringing tariff unity back with a law not such a good idea?
Bring tariff unity back with a law.  A federal government spokesman announced that the next mediation meeting between the government coalition parties would look at the question of bringing tariff...
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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
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Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025
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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
4
EU: revised EWC directive published in official journal
The revision of the European Works Councils Directive, adopted by the European Parliament on 9 October, was published on 11 December in the EU’s official journal. Initiated in early 2023 by...