All articles

Portugal: merchandise carriers strike against fuel prices
Trial of strength.  The emergency meeting between the government and carriers which followed the announcement of the blockade didn’t lead to an agreement, since the most important claim on...
Spain: adoption of the bill transposing the new EWC directive
Effective rights.  The bill adopted by the Spanish government on March 8th doesn’t change much from Directive 2009/38.  The definitions of information and consultation are the same word for word...
Alstom: interview of Patrick Dubert and Noël Huret, respectively HR manager and IR manager of the Group, on the European agreement on the anticipation of change
Patrick Dubert.  We feel there are three sides to this agreement.  First, the organization of dialogue on evolutions, preparing the future both at European and at national/local level.  Secondly...
Italy: social partners set guidelines for territorial agreements for the tax exemption of productivity wages
The Confindustria confederation for employers and the CGIL, Cisl and Uil for unions signed, on March 8th, a unitary agreement on the guidelines for local agreements granting businesses tax...
Luxembourg: renewal of banking collective agreement
Disagreements.  Debated since the end of October 2010, the collective agreement applying to Luxembourg’s banks is about to be concluded.  The social partners – ABBL for employers and LCGB, ALEBA...
Great Britain: government establishes fund of up to GBP 50 million a year to improve skills
Co-funding.  The Business Secretary’s goal is to co-fund staff training offered by businesses, which will pay for the other half.  This “Growth and Innovation Fund” will receive up to £50 million...
France: “the debate on the competitiveness differential between France and Germany is simplistic and does not take account of non-price factors” (Eric Heyer)
Eric Heyer.  The competitiveness of an economy can be assessed based on factor which I would divide between price factors and non-price factors.  The latter are crucial and numerous.  There’s the...
EU: Member States insist on the respect of their national competence regarding pensions
Free choice.  “This is an issue that matters for European citizens because everyone wants to rely on a safe pension and a number of contribution years that will never be lost.”  This is how Miklos...
Germany: first pay bargaining round in construction failed
5.9% wage increase.  Unsurprisingly, the IG BAU union and the two key employers’ organizations in the sector, the Central Union of Construction Firms (ZDB) and the Construction Employers’...
Germany: train drivers overwhelmingly vote for unlimited strike
“A clear sign.”  As in 2007-2008, the German rail sector could shortly (no date has been given yet) be paralyzed by a major conflict.  Over 92% of the GDL’s members within DB and 96% within the...
Great Britain: report gibes at vocational education and calls for a recast
Criticism.  This independent report on vocational training, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, was carried out by Alison Wolf, professor of Public Sector Management...
EU: UNI Europa wants to boost EWCs in the trade industry
Fabrice Warneck.  Research shows that, in commerce as well as in other sectors, there isn’t really a problem with information, more with consultation.  Two out of three times, if there is...
Spain: union report on gender equality plans
Almudena Fontecha.  The introduction of equality plans is gradual.  All businesses with250+ employees have complied with the law and opened talks to prepare their plan.  The last large businesses...
Brazil: Central Workers’ Union demands removal of mandatory union tax
The Central Workers’ Union (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores, CUT) has chosen March 1st to announce the enhancement of its campaign for the removal of the union tax, started three years ago. ...
Belgium: successful mobilization against cross-industry agreement
Success.  On Friday, March 4th, many sectors in manufacturing, banking, transportation, chain stores and town services were stopped in Belgium.  The FGTB’s socialists and the CGLSB’s liberals...
Sweden: first agreement on the posting of foreign workers signed in manufacturing
Last spring, the Swedish Parliament amended the Posting Act to make it comply with the Laval decree of 2007.  The latter stated that unions had to sign a “posting agreement” (utstationeringsavtal)...
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
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Sweden: IF Metall union forced to end industrial dispute with Tesla
The news. After three years of conflict, the Swedish union IF Metall announced it would suspend its strike actions against Tesla starting Wednesday, August 19, after the American automaker...