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Great Britain: Royal Mail employees vote for strike in London
79% of the members of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) voted in favor of the strike, the union announced on May 23rd.  The reason is that three sorting centers and a delivery service are...
Spain: Telefónica reveals plan to cut staffing by 25% in five years
When an Employee Reduction Program (ERE) is applied, the employees affected receive unemployment benefits, for the first two years, and then their social contributions are funded by the public...
Germany: Verdi union torpedoes the social partners’ initiative to restore union unity in businesses with a law
Members’ rejection.  The unexpected decision made by Verdi’s Federal Committee (Gewerkschaftsrat) puts a sharp end to the initiative carried out since last summer by the central employers and...
International: unions accuse DHL of violating fundamental social rights
About 80 union representatives from the DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx, DPD and Geopost companies from all over the world discussed, on Monday and Tuesday, the difficulties faced by the sector’s employees...
France: towards the introduction of mandatory bonuses for the employees of businesses with 50+ employees when dividends increase
Mandatory bonus.  In detail, this bonus will be mandatory in businesses with 50 employees and more, provided that a) they paid dividends to their shareholders and b) the amount of the dividends is...
26 May 2011
Spain: unions announce that they got 750,000 signatures to request a popular legislative initiative against the labor market reform
Five months later, they announced that they got 750,000 signatures (500,000 gathered by CCOO and 250,000 by UGT), i.e. 250,000 more than the 500,000 required to carry their bill through and have...
Denmark: industry is the first sector to get arbitration committee for equal pay disputes
For the 2010 collective agreements, the industry’ social partners agreed to make the LO and DA Confederations responsible for creating the Equal Pay Committee (ligelønsnævn, see our dispatch No. ...
Allianz SE: the management and the EWC sign a European agreement against stress
First major European project.  The agreement presented on May 5th has a double meaning for Allianz SE.  On the one hand, it is the official recognition of growing problems caused by the...
Italy: are Fiat Industrial’s unions more “united” than Fiat Auto’s?
“Uilm, Fimsic and UGL are responsible for a severe decision: by objecting that you can’t organize an RSU election with a closed factory, they prevented the electoral committee from determining the...
Spain: Telefónica shareholder pension schemes demand more socially responsible corporate policy
A first.  It’s the first time a Spanish pension fund has spoken this way, Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) wrote in a press release, pointing to the growing importance of socially responsible...
25 May 2011
Great Britain: in six years, final salary pension schemes could be closed down altogether in the private sector
Pension schemes in Britain have traditionally been based upon final salary or earnings schemes where benefits are defined until a member of the scheme dies. Pensions are treated as deferred wages...
EU: report on the debate on the draft directives on “intra-corporate transfers” and “seasonal workers”
Scope and right to mobility.  Regarding the draft intra-corporate directive (see our dispatch No.  100564), at the Council, some Member States would like to expressly remove workers covered by...
France: first substantive decision on the link between European and national structures in favor of prior consultation of the EWC
The dispute arose within the framework of GDF Suez’s plan to pool competences in terms of economic analysis of energy markets by bringing together the employees of two big competence centers, one...
Germany: Trumpf group signs agreement with IG-Metall on truly flexible working time scheme
Take account of the “phases of life.”  The “Custom-made working and free time” agreement presented by Trumpf management on may 18th, signed with representatives from the WC and the IG-Metall, is...
Spain: Spanish spring social movement caught majority unions unprepared
The first call for demonstration launched by a group called “Juventud sin futuro” (“Youth without a future”) on April 7th brought things to a head.  This group, made up of students who mobilized...
Italy: Cisl and Uil proclaim themselves “unitary reformer union”
“We’re the unitary and reforming union, born from a pact built over the past three years: the Uil and Cisl together for an Italy that trusts its future.”  This is how Cisl leader Raffaele Bonnani...
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1
France: Medef puts forward proposals to improve management quality
On 31 August, Medef, French main employers' organisation, published a practical guide to managerial skills, which it considers to be a driver of economic performance for businesses. Concerned by...
2
AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...
3
France: Ministry of Labour unveils plan to accelerate the rollout of AI
On 22 September, the French Ministry of Labour presented a plan named Impulsion IA 2027 aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI by companies and employees. It contains 12 measures applicable from...
4
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
5
Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages
The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...
6
UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union
The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...