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Finland: Akava unions asks the government to bring paternity leave up to six months
Most parental leaves are taken by women.  According to the Finnish social security (Kela), mothers take, in average, nineteen months after their first child is born. On the other hand, 90% of men...
15 September 2010
Great Britain: “union busting” is silently growing
Recently, Cranberry Foods, a leading turkey processing factory which is based in Derby, has become the latest company to be exposed as using the services of The Burke Group (TBG), a notorious...
Italy: Poste Italiane converts mailmen and revolutionizes mail delivery
Poste Italiane didn’t have a choice anymore: faced with two challenges – the liberalization of the European postal market on January 1st and the decline in mail because of the e-boom, further...
15 September 2010
Netherlands: plan to index pensions on stock market prices
Dutch pension funds exposed themselves to risks of a market crash by massively investing into shares and obligations on different stock markets: funded pension schemes reached 86% before the...
EU: gas social dialog meeting talks about skills
New skills.  During last week’s meeting, the social partners mentioned the recent development of shale gas which raises new questions in terms of skills, since they differ from the skills required...
Germany: employees retire later and later
Difference between men and women. Commissioned by the Department for Family Affairs, the “Deutscher Alterssurvey” study analyzes the living conditions of people aged 40-85 and living in Germany. ...
15 September 2010
Italy: Cisl and Uil unions launch joint program for the tax reform and leave the CGIL aside
Yesterday, the Cisl and Uil presented to the press their joint platform for the tax reform, which will be ratified tomorrow in Rome by the two unions’ managements together. To support it, they...
France: Continental employees agree to the management’s savings plan despite pressure from their European colleagues
Saving.  On Monday, September 13th, Continental Automotive workers in Toulouse approved, in a referendum, the 8% savings plan proposed by the management in exchange for a minimum 5-year employment...
14 September 2010
Portugal: workers needed in health, renewable energy and new technologies
Expanding sectors.  Health, social and renewable energies have the wind in their sails in Portugal.  These sectors are maintaining their recruitment level, or even creating jobs, in a labor market...
14 September 2010
Europe: scheduled union mobilizations
September 15th, Belgium.  All Belgian unions will march for pensions on September 15th.  Talks on the pension reform started in early 2010 and were paused when the government collapsed after the...
14 September 2010
Brazil: 155,000 metalworkers in the Sao Paulo region get an amazing 9% wage increase
During a meeting organized on Saturday, September 4th, Sao Paulo metalworkers unanimously approved the 9% wage increase signed by the Central Workers’ Union (CUT, Central Unica dos Trabalhadores)...
Germany: strong resurgence of regional laws linking public contracts and the respect of local collective agreements
Get out of the dilemma brought by the decree.  After the ECJ’s ruling (see our dispatch No. 080268), ten Lander abrogated their law on public contracts or gave up the idea of adopting one. ...
Netherlands: talks about the introduction of a women’s quota for senior positions
Minister for Social Affairs Piet Hein Donner launched, at the end of August, a general call to change the way women are perceived at work.  The taskforce (Taskforce Deeltijd Plus) created in 2007...
Latvia: the Free Trade Union Confederation goes around key political forces to sign agreements before the upcoming election
Focus on taxes in the agreement with the nationalists.  In the memorandum of understanding signed between LBAS and VL-TB/LNNK (made up of the two nationalist parties, “Visu Latvijai” and “Tēvzemei...
Great Britain: +56% complaints to labor courts in 2009-10
Reasons for litigation.  When taking into account collective action – +90% compared with 2008-09 –, the total number of complaints got to 392,800 (as opposed to 266,543 in 2008-09).  One in four...
Spain: labor market reform finally adopted
Here are the key points of the new act: 
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Spain: government seeks to strengthen protection for employee whistleblowers
On 28 July, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft bill aimed at providing legal protection to employees who report corruption or breaches of labour law, shielding them from potential...
27 August 2026
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France: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
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Germany: IG Metall demands 5% pay rise amid severe pressure
Despite the crisis hitting the automotive industry, the leadership of the German trade union IG Metall announced on Wednesday 23 September that it would be asking for a 5% pay increase as well as...
23 September 2026
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Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
5
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
6
Slovakia: 6% increase in the minimum wage from 1 January 2027
The news. As Slovakia’s social partners failed to reach an agreement during tripartite negotiations, Labour Minister Erik Tomas has decided to increase the minimum wage by 6% from 1 January...
1 September 2026