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Germany: thirteenth month globally higher in 2009 than in 2008
After analyzing 23 major sectoral agreements, the WSI concluded that 2009’s 13th month should be much higher than in 2008. In concrete terms, these increases range between 1.5 and 7.3%, i.e...
Belgium: the extension of anticrisis measures revives the debate on the harmonization of blue-collar and white-collar statuses
Harmonizing blue-collar and white-collar workers’ statuses. This is an old awe-inspiring specter for Belgian social dialog, resurfacing with the economic crisis. After negotiations between the...
Germany: unions and temporary agencies want to stop wage dumping at the Schlecker hardware stores
“XL stores for XS wages.” In Bremen, Heidelberg, or many other cities in Germany, unhappy employees and sympathizing customers have been demonstrating against the new strategy of the Schlecker...
France: summary of the key measures of the law on lifelong vocational guidance and training
Portability of individual training rights. In all cases where the termination of the labor contract isn’t justified by gross misconduct, and entitles to unemployment insurance, employees who...
Great Britain: government measures to cope with the shortage of skilled workers in engineering construction
Talent shortage. In February 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) asked Mark Gibson, former director general of this department, to draw a report on productivity and...
Canada: Supreme Court validates Wal-Mart’s decision to close a store where a union gained following
“No legislation obliges any employer to remain in business.” On November 27, the supreme court of Canada has upheld the right of Wal-Mart’s management to shut down one of its stores in Quebec, in...
Italy: Fiat confirms automotive production halt in Sicilian plant
Twenty days to find a solution. Confirming the decision to stop automotive production in 2011 in the Termini Imerese plant, Fiat’s managing director, Sergio Marchionne declared that “the...
EU: the Council recommends Member States to improve workers’ protection against the tobacco smoke
Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia abstained from voting. The recommendation is based, almost word for word, on the text proposed by the European Commission on June 30 (see our dispatch...
Austria: trade partners agree on wage increases between 1.5 and 1.8%
When presenting the terms of the wage agreement negotiated for the 570,000 workers in trade (including wholesale pharmaceutical trade), Manfred Wolf, negotiator for the GPA union, is mostly happy...
Finland: in spite of the crisis, wage increases in chemistry are higher than the top limits recommended by employers’ organizations
This is an important result. Indeed, by a schedule coincidence, the period for the application of most collective agreement in Finland negotiated between 2006 and 2008 will expire in early 2010...
Areva: EWC denounces bad sales conditions for workers at its T&D branch
Social concerns. By announcing, on November 30, the beginning of exclusive negotiations with Alstom/Schneider Electric, Areva ended several weeks of faux suspense around the sale of its T&D...
Italy: Fiom-CGIL presents popular own-initiative bill on union democracy
Popular own-initiative bill. As of January 2010, the Fiom will start, in factories and regions, collecting the 50,000 signatures it needs to present its popular own-initiative bill for union...
Hungary: two new acts revise the functioning of tripartite and sectoral social dialog structures
arian Constitutional Court questioning the co-determination right granted to national and sectoral social dialog structures, the Hungarian Parliament adopted two acts revising the powers of these...
Spain: Michelin signs job cut agreement providing for 380 early retirements
entral works council and management signed an employment regulation program (ERE) which will be implemented on January 1, 2010 and which will end in 380 early retirements. They also announced the...
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1
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
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France: Decathlon introduces a ‘duty to respect others’ right to disconnect’
A right-to-disconnect agreement was signed in late September for the French arm of the Decathlon sports retail group. It sets out a "duty to respect others’ right to disconnect" and provides...
14 November 2025
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United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
4
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
5
Italy: new collective agreement for managers in tertiary sector
On 5 November, the ManagerItalia union and the employers’ association Confcommercio renewed the collective agreement for managers in Italy’s tertiary, distribution and services...
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Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...