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Great Britain: end of the consultation on the transposition of the new EWC directive
Scope. The consultation document notes that the 1999 Regulations will continue to apply but with amendments. Besides, it excludes some agreements from the scope of the new directive: pre-existing...
Italy: a job as prize in a supermarket contest
The Tigros supermarket chain (Lombardy) set the example with the first contest of this kind in three provinces (Varese, Verbania and Novara) in September 2009. For one month, it brought into play...
France: summary of the social partners’ work at cross-industry level
ations are still working on the social projects started in 2009. The key fieldworks of these negotiations, which are going to last until next spring, include employment, the modernization of...
Germany: IG-Metall wants to bargain for collective agreements two months early
“The current state of talks (editor’s note: with employers) is advanced enough so we can quickly start early collective bargaining with employers” said Jorg Hoffmann, leader of the IG-Metall in...
Spain: government presents draft labor market reform
After the controversy sparked off by the reform of the pension scheme and the government’s comings and goings around the issue of the possible extension of the duration of contributions (see our...
Sweden: Sandvik’s new company agreement provides for 500 leaves, including about 100 for demotivated or low-skilled workers
egotiated in June 2009 is nearing its end, Sandvik, world equipment leader, negotiated with unions indirect means to have 500 collaborators leave. One of the planned measures is to encourage...
Netherlands: Parliament criticizes plan to limit severance pay for high wages
This is an unusual situation: on February 3, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA, in power), rejected, in Parliament, a reform presented by one of its own Ministers, Piet Hein Donner. The Labor...
Estonia: applying European law will force employers to better pay third-country employees
In Estonia, citizens from the European Union (EU) and Switzerland don’t need a work permit to perform paid employment. All they have to do is declare their place of residence within three months...
Chile: new public agency to validate workers’ professional skills
The new public human resources agency, called “Chile Valora,” will examine Chilean workers’ skill level and give them certificates matching their professional category. The goal is to certify...
Spain: unions angered by the government’s tactlessness on the pension case
2009-13″ sent by the government to Brussels turned unions and people’s heads upside down. In this document, the government expressed its will to bring from 15 to 25 the number of years...
Germany: works councils will be elected from March 1 to May 31
Elections in every company with 5 or more employees. A works council may be elected in every establishment employing 5 or more workers, provided that the latter want it. If no worker takes the...
Italy: Intesa Sanpaolo signs group agreement on employment with exceptions to the CCN’s minimum rules
lo signed an agreement with banking unions on an employment program for the group. The Fisac-CGIL refused to sign the text which provides that, for four years, new employees’ wages will be...
Germany: Verdi union demands better working conditions for banking employees during next round of collective bargaining
Tremendous mental pressure, Ver.di says. Convinced that the financial crisis was partly caused by worsening working conditions in banks (high pressure, race for marketing goals, stress, leaves...
Slovenia: bill on minimum wage to take better account of increasing cost of living
The few weeks that preceded the adoption of the bill on January 21 and its transmission to the MPs on January 28 were characterized by a lot of controversy between the social partners and the...
Luxembourg: social partners renew transport collective agreement
The agreement applies to all professional firms of merchandise transport by road, moving, courier, express mail and logistics. Thus, it covers around 10,000 employees. Open one year ago, the...
International Paper: agreement establishing the EWC
This agreement, subject to British law, established a European Works Council where “central management will provide transnational information relating to its operations in the European Union (EU)...
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025
6
France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval
The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...