All articles

Germany: courts disagree on default retirement
General interest vs. equal treatment.  It was the first instance ruling at the Hamburg labor court (case No. 7 AZR 116/07) on the case of an employee at the Hamburger Hochbahn company (running bus...
EADS: new European agreement defining a framework for future transnational negotiations
Clearing by the EWC.  “To reinforce its integration and improve personnel representation, the EADS group must be able to define and implement transnational policies” reads the preamble of the...
EU: overview of the meeting organized by the French association of social journalists on the European Commission’s current or pending project
“There’s an intrinsic contradiction between what is expected from the Commission and what it can give.” From the beginning of the meeting organized on Friday, the civil servant who came to...
Great Britain: Unite and Sun Chemicals sign a company collective agreement going against the increased decentralization trend in bargaining
The company is a manufacturer of organic pigments and dispersions for use as colorants in printing inks, plastics, paints, cosmetics, textiles and specialities. It is an American global company...
H&M: Swedish clothing line sets up a global financial bonus system to increase employees’ commitment
Special fund for a special financial incentive system.  H&M, the Swedish group, markets clothes and cosmetics in about 2,000 stores in 37 countries.  It has about 76,000 collaborators and, in...
27 September 2010
EU: study on the costs and benefits of the extension of maternity leave paid 100% for 18 or 20 weeks
In October 2008, the European Commission proposed a review of Directive 92/85 on the protection of the health and safety at work of pregnant workers as well as workers who have recently given...
Germany: arming industry worried about the impact of the Bundeswehr reform on employment
Many jobs were already cut in this sector.  The German arming industry isn’t an economic sector, strictly speaking, but it has quite a few jewels allowing Germany to rank third on the Stockholm...
24 September 2010
Great Britain: wages chase after inflation
According to the Office of National Statistics, the current rate of inflation continues to remain well above the government’s 2% target rate for a stable and growing economy. Since the end of...
Italy: Lombardy could cancel subsidies to businesses that relocate
“For those who take their facilities and production abroad, leaving our workers on the street, there will be no exceptions” declared the President of Lombardy’s regional budget committee...
24 September 2010
Spain: commentary of the act implementing the labor market reform
Make fixed-term contracts less appealing. Generally speaking, employers may choose between fixed-term contracts or permanent contracts. Though fixed-term contracts may be entered into only under...
Great Britain: Royal Mail staff to receive 10% of shares within the framework of privatization
Unprecedented scheme.  “This will be the largest employee shares scheme of any privatization for 25 years in terms of the number of workers who will benefit” David Cable pointed out.  The...
Spain: historical agreement on minimum service for the September 29 general strike
Eight-hour long talks led to an agreement which unions qualified of “complex” which both secures the right to strike and citizens’ mobility.  The text sets out that 25% of suburban trains will be...
Germany: Siemens signs “unlimited” job security pact for its German employees
Job security and increased joint management.  Unlike what some German newspapers prematurely announced, the agreement signed on Wednesday, September 22nd on the side of Siemens’ board meeting...
EU: strategy to improve equality between women and men on the labor market and in businesses
The strategy presented on September 21st by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, is based on the commitments taken by the European...
Argentina: bill to force businesses to share profit with employees
All Argentinean businesses after two years in business will have to share 10% of their earnings with their employees.  The bill introducing the “System of Employee Participation in Corporate...
United States: USW champion American jobs to the WTO
United Steelworkers is diving into the WTO’s universe to defend American jobs against Chinese “supremacy.”  Indeed, in early September, Leo Gerard, international USW leader, sent a case to the US...
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
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...