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Finland: unions and employers relatively happy with collective negotiations, in spite of the recession due to the financial crisis and many conflicts
Unions are satisfied. The SAK union confederation considered that, in spite of particularly complicated economic conditions, the outcome is quite positive. In the fall 2009, collectively-agreed...
Spain: unions object to the decree-law amending savings banks
Candido Mendez, UGT general  secretary, and Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, his counterpart at CCOO, rejected what they call the “penetration of banking services” into savings banks, in a process which...
Norway: businesses learn to better deal with their employees’ pregnancies to reduce absenteeism
In sectors where women are overrepresented, effective management can significantly reduce absenteeism. Indeed, days off because of pregnancy account for one third of absences among women aged...
Portugal: wage negotiations at Volkswagen’s Lisbon factory (Palmela) in a context of revived production
Raise. VW’s working committee in the Palmela factory (near Lisbon) is asking for a 3.8% wage increase for the 3,000 employees of the factory, with a “limit” €40 increase for all. Negotiations will...
Germany: demographic ageing influences absenteeism’s growth
An increase influenced by the demographic factor. The traditional absenteeism equations, “fear of loosing your job = lower absenteeism rates” and, conversely, “economic growth = increasing...
Great Britain: engineering construction industry still boiling
The specific grievances concerned the importation of non-domiciled workers to undertake work in the industry while domiciled workers were without work and on rates of pay below the industry norm...
Italy: supplementary health insurance increasingly wins over wage increases
More and more businesses introduce supplementary health care plans among mutual insurance companies, insurance companies, corporate funds and sectoral funds for their employees. Luxottica, the...
Greece: unhoped for agreement on a new national agreement for three years
Content of the agreement. This agreement, retroactive on January 1, 2010, provides for a wage freeze in 2010, a minimum 1.5% wage increase in 2011 and 1.7% in 2012, based on the percentage of...
EU: on the occasion of its 8th national assembly, the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation is clarifying its organizational and union strategy
New federation. In a special motion, the EMCEF’s representatives first looked at merger prospects between their federation and the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF) and the European Trade...
Austria: government to introduce controls and fines to fight wage dumping
€240 million shortfall. As in Germany, where the idea of minimum wage to limit cheap competition from workers from the new Member States is spreading, Austria is trying to protect itself from the...
France: interview of Marcel Grignard, CFDT deputy national secretary
the pension reform, which is getting all the attention from the press and politicians in France because of the country’s news, the CFDT’s congress (in Tours from June 7th to June 11th...
Greece: the drop in tourism worsens the economic situation and will also have an impact on the social situation in the fall
Cancellation wave. A government spokesman explained that, in May, “there were thousands of cancellations, with tens of thousands of euros lost each eek. Images of broken shop windows, or of...
Belgium: employers are furious at early retirement at 50 at Opel Antwerp
“This isn’t a good sign.” The car factory’s management and unions are trying to find a solution to avoid laying off 2,600 workers, after the announcement, in January, of the closing of Opel’s...
France: draft pension reform adopted by the Council of Ministers
Raising retirement ages. Now set at 60, retirement age would gradually be raised, reaching 62 for insured parties born after January 1, 1956. As regards the age when a full rate is systematically...
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mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
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EU: right and far right join forces in parliament to dismantle sustainability due diligence
On 13 November, the European Parliament approved the report by EPP MEP Jörgen Warborn on the proposed omnibus directive, clearing the way for trilogue negotiations. Backed by the far right, the...
13 November 2025
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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
4
Germany: EU pay transparency directive to force companies to ‘get tough’
Germany introduced a pay transparency law in 2017, meaning companies are already somewhat familiar with the issue. However, the broader scope and stricter requirements of the EU directive, the...
24 October 2025
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Germany: ‘active retirement’ law adopted to encourage seniors to remain in the workforce
On 15 October, Germany’s cabinet approved draft legislation on ‘active retirement‘, which is expected to pass swiftly through Parliament. The bill would allow people who continue...
6
EU: omnibus bill stalls in parliament
On 22 October, members of the European Parliament narrowly voted against a negotiating mandate that would have opened trilogue talks on the omnibus directive, which seeks to dilute the corporate...
23 October 2025