All articles

Denmark: analysis of the impact on the Danish system of the conflict caused by the renewal of collective agreements in the public sector in 2008
During the biggest conflict in the history of the public sector, in the spring of 2008, as part of the renewal of sectoral collective agreements, several experts were concerned about its...
5 November 2009
Germany: offended by General Motors’ decision to keep Opel, unions become hostile
Russelsheim, Opel’s central works council and the IG-Metall called on the carmaker’s 45,000 European employees to take part in warning strikes to protest against the unexpected...
EU: the Lisbon Treaty’s social contributions
General institutional innovations. After much wrangling (see our dispatch No. 091001), Czech President Vaclav Klaus ratified the Lisbon Treaty on November 3. After the hazards of the ratification...
EDF: EWC mobilizes for EDF Polska’s employees
The “Trèfle” project affecting the EDF Polska subsidiary provides, in the long run, for the merger of the different entities making up this company. It should lead to over 300 job cuts and the...
Austria: metalworking negotiations stuck on flexible working time
Flexibility in exchange for wage increase. “Anything’s possible, because the situation hadn’t been that stuck in a long time” declared Hermann Haslauer, negotiator for employers, the day after the...
Sweden: debate on layoff order because of rising youth unemployment and difficulties for SMEs
SMEs want more flexibility to face the crisis. Anna-Stina Nodmark Nilsson, leader of the Foretagarna employers’ association, which represents SMEs (55,000 members), thinks that layoff priority...
Germany: Transnet and GDBA to merge to create a new rail union
Two unions, two sizes. The two unions, which have been working together since 2005, want to merge to better deal with the “drastic changes” which shook up the transport sector, the possible...
Belgium: rail strike on Thursday, November 5 to protest against B-Cargo’s restructuring plan
No train will go from Paris to Amsterdam on November, Thalys already announced. Belgian railroaders are opposed to the restructuring at B-Cargo, the cargo unit of the National Railway Company of...
Spain: agreement on the new sectoral collective agreement for Pontevedra’s metalworkers
On November 2, the Asime, Atra and Feca employers’ organizations and the two majority unions, UGT and CCOO (Workers’ Commissions), ratified the agreement, but the CIG nationalist Galician union...
Lithuania: national agreement strengthens cooperation with the social partners
In spite of the revolt of independent organizations and unions in the public sector (teachers’ unions, medical professions, police unions, see our dispatch No. 090956), the Confederation of...
United States: Ford employees reject the compromise reached between the management and the UAW
Rejecting the compromise accepted by the United Auto Workers (UAW). Ford’s American employees refused the new wage concessions demanded by the management and agreed to by the UAW (see our dispatch...
EU: the Czech republic is the third country to be exempt from the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU
Blackmail. The 26 heads of State and government finally gave in to Czech President Vaclav Klaus’ blackmail. The latter will ratify the Lisbon Treaty but will enjoy the same protocol established in...
EU: employment and environment at the hear of the tripartite social summit
Alarming unemployment increase. On the morning of October 29, a tripartite social summit was held before the meeting of the 27 heads of State and government. Representatives from the European...
Italy: Fiom-CGIL defines a strategy against the separate agreement for the renewal of the national collective agreement in metalworking
The Fiom’s “tough” line. “Let it be clear to the signatories of the separate agreement of October 15: we will burst it.” This is how Fiom leader Gianni Rinaldini set the tone for the national...
2 November 2009
Netherlands: trial of strength between TNT and unions
Negotiations on ways to cut costs. Negotiations on TNT’s next collective agreement are at a standstill, since unions rejected, in April, a major restructuring program announced in August 2007...
Germany: end of wage conflict between Deutsche Post and Ver.di
No outsourcing in the Mail unit until the end of 2011. At first glance, it looks as if Ver.di won from top to bottom. Thus, the management of the German post failed to impose a working time...
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1
France: Medef puts forward proposals to improve management quality
On 31 August, Medef, French main employers' organisation, published a practical guide to managerial skills, which it considers to be a driver of economic performance for businesses. Concerned by...
2
AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...
3
France: Ministry of Labour unveils plan to accelerate the rollout of AI
On 22 September, the French Ministry of Labour presented a plan named Impulsion IA 2027 aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI by companies and employees. It contains 12 measures applicable from...
4
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
5
Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages
The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...
6
UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union
The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...