All articles

EU: European Commission publishes guide for the procurement of socially responsible contracts
In its document, the Commission reminds that public authorities are major consumers, spending some 17 % of the EU’s GDP, i.e. half the GDP of Germany.  Hence the need to make them major...
31 January 2011
Spain: agreement between the social partners to unfreeze the reform of collective bargaining
According to the document signed on the night of the 26th, the new system will help “rationalize and better articulate collective agreements” and encourage negotiations at company level. The...
Italy: Fiom-CGIL mobilization on January 28th against Fiat’s maneuvers and to defend collective bargaining
“Today, hundreds of thousands of metalworkers, Fiom affiliates or not, are with us” said Maurizio Landini on Friday, January 28th in Milan, on a Piazza del Duomo swarming with people, to sum up...
Spain: government presents draft bill on retirement at 67 after agreement with the social partners
Negotiations dealt with briskly.  The government, which already set the deadline to January 28th for the Council of Ministers to validate the text, expressed its will to reach an agreement with...
Portugal: government presents new system for layoff compensation to the social partners
Proposal.  The government has polished its proposal on layoff benefits (see our dispatch No.  100896).  Currently, employees subject to the mass layoff system or whose position is cancelled can...
Belgium: restructuring at Bpost, the former public post
There will be no compulsory redundancies reassured Bpost when presenting its four-year restructuring program, which is going to require €200M in investment.  The aim is to face the drop in mail...
27 January 2011
Netherlands: FNV union wants to tackle abusive use of youth minimum wage in supermarkets
Dutch supermarkets currently employ 260,000 people, i.e. 40,000 more than in 2009, according to the FNV.  This increase is artificial, due to the massive employment of young people working part...
Germany: first report on equal opportunities between men and women at work recommends radical shift in policy
Very upsetting report.  “I hope your contribution will bring new answers to the questions raised by the policy of gender equality.  I am expecting recommendations that can be implemented” asked...
27 January 2011
Sodexo: the union campaign against the French catering company is spreading and diversifying
On January 18, 2011, in a teleconference hosted by Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Danny Glover, chairman of the board of TransAfrica...
27 January 2011
Ireland: unions denounce the European Commission’s interference with the review of sectoral wage agreements
Memorandum.  This is one of the measures negotiated in December 2010 by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to help Ireland.  By accepting the €67.5 billion, the Irish...
Finland: unions and the employers’ organization of technology industries work together to improve well-being at work
Develop methods to measure hardness and create tools to improve working conditions.  In a general context of increasing retirement age and careers, well being at work has become a key issue.  From...
United States: unionization rate dips below 12%
No need to panic.  One year earlier, the union membership rate was 12.3%.  In 1983, when the BLS started comparing such data, 20.1% of employees belonged to a trade union.  In the mid-1950s, 35%...
Italy: memorandum of understanding between banks, businesses and the Ministry of Economic Development to promote the CSR culture
Dialogue first.  Born from “awareness that durability can help maintain the country’s economic and social fabric, promote trust into the market and speed up the recovery,” the memorandum aims to...
27 January 2011
EU: interview of Pervenche Berès, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and Alejandro Cercas, socialist MEP and coordinator of the same committee
Pervenche Berès.  Indeed, I think this is the right word for this package, which contains three texts: that on the single permit, that on the entry and residence of seasonal workers and that on...
Portugal: tense social atmosphere at the Portuguese post while liberalization is running late
Austerity. The management of the Portuguese post announced that it would apply, to the letter, the government’s recommendations regarding the planned pay cuts in the civil service within the...
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: 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...