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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...
Italy: tourism social partners sign a unitary agreement for the renewal of the sectoral collective agreement
Tourism social partners – Filcams CGIL, Fisascat-Cisl and Uiltucs-Uil for unions, AICA and Federturismo (affiliated with Confindustria) for employers – signed, on July 9th, a unitary agreement for...
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1
EU: Commission launches consultation with social partners on quality jobs
On 4 December, the European Commission launched the first phase of consultation with social partners with a view to a European directive on jobs, which is scheduled for the end of 2026. It could...
4 December 2025
2
United Kingdom: government scraps plan to introduce ‘day one’ protection against unfair dismissal
The UK government announced on 27 November, in a statement, that it would not be introducing the right to challenge unfair dismissal (without cause) from the first day of employment in its...
3 December 2025
3
Poland: bill adopted to amend definition of psychological harassment
On 27 November, the Polish cabinet adopted a draft amendment to the labour code aimed at simplifying the definition of psychological harassment at work, or “mobbing” (Article 94 3)...
4 December 2025
4
EU: MEPs demand directive on algorithmic management
Members of the European Parliament have called for a directive on algorithmic management. Such legislation would introduce obligations for companies to inform employees, assess health and safety...
17 December 2025
5
United Kingdom: Parliament finally passes Employment Rights Bill
The UK Labour government's flagship reform of employment rights was passed by both houses on 16 December after a turbulent parliamentary process. The bill introduces numerous changes to labour...
18 December 2025
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France: minimum wage to rise by 1.18% on 1 January
On 12 December, the French government announced a 1.18% increase in the minimum wage, taking effect on 1 January 2026. The pay level will rise from €1,802 to €1,823 gross per month (for...
16 December 2025