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Italy: the Fiom’s central committee confirms mobilization against the separate agreement on the metalworking CCN
“Deeply negative judgment.” This is how the central committee of the Fiom, gathered on October 20, summarized its point of view on the agreement for the renewal of the CCN signed on October 15 by...
Spain: in Valencia, Ford’s employees validate the new company agreement and the management’s social plan
A better agreement with no economic layoffs. The new text contains major improvements compared with the text rejected in April because unions were divided (see our dispatch No. 090695). The 600...
Germany: back to layoffs and wage freezes?
In Germany, unemployment figures for September 2009 surprised experts. This fall, the recovery was faster than anticipated and unemployment dropped of 8.3% in August and 8% in September (7.4% in...
Germany: the Deutsche Bahn to pay a high fine for controlling employees’ data without their knowing it
Earlier this year, the Deutsche Bahn recognized that it controlled and compared, several times since 1998, personal information on almost all its employees and suppliers without them knowing about...
China: expats going home
Fewer expats. The big apartment on the 20th floor with a view on Shanghai’s skyscrapers seems pretty empty. After nine months living in China, Karine is quickly gathering her last boxes in the...
21 October 2009
RR Donnelley: EWC agreement
RR Donnelley’s special negotiating body and management signed an agreement establishing the EWC. This agreement is the result of three years of negotiations during which the company’s American...
Great Britain: government shows that race discrimination still exists upon recruitment
Africans and Asians are the first victims. The Employment Ministry’s study shows that workers with an African or Asian name are discriminated against when they apply for a job (see our dispatch...
Germany: Transnet and GDBA rail unions to increase cooperation to have more weight against the Deutsche Bahn
Two unions already quite close. To that end, on October 26 and 27, Transnet’s executive committee will meet, and the GDBA’s management will do the same on October 29 to talk about this...
Great Britain: government wants to remove default retirement age
While default retirement age should be revised in 2010 (see our dispatch No. 090737), the government decided to speed the process up and called on employers in large businesses to give an...
Lithuania: minority unions revolt against the future national Pact
Minority unions’ discontent with the agreement… While the main unions (Confederation of Lithuanian Unions, Solidarumas, Labor Federation) don’t deny that they will soon sign, with the government...
Italy: focus on agreements between regions and unions to face the crisis
Regions’ effort against the crisis. Agreements concluded between Italian regions and the social partners since the beginning of the year allowed “completing, extending and gauge” about anti-crisis...
Sweden: government wants to make funded pensions fairer
The reform proposed by the government affects the part of the Swedish pension system, mostly made up of “notional accounts.” A residual part (5% of contributions) is made up of a capitalization...
20 October 2009
Netherlands: Parliament extends short-time working after January 1, 2010
Originally, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs Piet Hein Donner wanted to decide after January 1, 2010 about a possible extension of short-time working (Deeltijd WW). Parliament decided...
Italy: home stretch before the creation of a big chemistry, energy and textile federation within the CGIL
Planned merger. Ratified at the last CGIL congress in 2006, the merger of the Filcem (chemistry) and Filtea (textile) was slowed down by efforts against the crisis and the separate agreement on...
Germany: open strike in industrial cleaning
For a global 8.7% wage increase. An IG BAU spokesman told Planet Labor that the strike won’t take place at the same time or in all businesses, it will be “flexible and unpredictable.” It will...
Ireland: unions maintain pressure to enforce the wage agreement
Wage cut. Today, Tuesday, October 20, 2009, the Irish government will meet with the social partners for an informal meeting. The revival of negotiations on the national social pact for 2016...
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What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
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...
2
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
3
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
5
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
6
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...