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Fiat-Opel: Italian and German unions united against job cuts after a possible merger
Beginning of European coordination. The European trade unions created a “work group” and demanded “true negotiations because the possible reduction of the European structure must be done without...
Germany: SEMs ignore challenges related to demographic change
Youth cult. Another disturbing fact: almost one in two businesses systematically rejects applications from people over 50. This “youth cult” is particularly present in SMEs with less than 50...
Schering-Plough: EWC demands further consultation on the merger with Merck
The representatives’ letter only explicitly mentions the closure of the Bray site in Ireland and the subsequent transfer of production – “which is a transnational issue” – stresses the letter...
Great Britain: the objectives set to improve skills by 2020 may not be achieved
Worsening competitiveness. Ten years before the deadline set by Lord Leitch in his report condemning the extremely low skill level in the UK (see our dispatch No. 061233), the Commission for...
Spain: railway unions apprehensive about the decentralization of rail network management in Catalonian suburbs
ster of Transport and Infrastructures, José Blanco, concerning the transfer of the management of Catalonian suburban trains (Cercanias) to the region starting January 1, 2010, has provoked...
Italy: Fim-Cisl 17th national Congress adopts new guidelines on union strategy
Industrial relations. Convinced that participation strengthens union relations in the company, the Fim is banking on the development of equal organizations, “in addition to traditional social...
Morocco: employers are advanced in terms of corporate social responsibility
Unions are hardly present. “In general, Moroccan unions are not well organized” confessed Mohamed Chaibi, Director General of Ciments Morocco, subsidiary of Italcementi. “Union membership is...
14 May 2009
Belgium: metalworkers demonstrate against the agreement in metallic manufacturing
Main points of the agreement signed on April 28. What’s the main progress of this agreement? The CSC lists eight:
Metro Group : the death of a worker in Bangladesh again raises the problem of the control of the respect of social standards by suppliers
The fartema Akter affair dates back to her death on December 7, 2008, but it was not until recently that on the initiative of the Clean Clothes Campaign that the circumstances were related in the...
13 May 2009
Germany: construction social partners ask a mediator to arbitrate their dispute
Towards a harmonization of wages in the west and in the east. The IG Bau’s second claim is that, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, wages in eastern Germany be brought in line with those...
Biomet Europe: establishment of a European works council
Competence of the EWC on the “territory” only. The agreement specified that the EWC represents employees “insofar as activities are carried out within the Territory.” Besides, “the EWC shall be...
Portugal: draft reform of the code of labor procedure
Adjustment. The new code is going to determine courts’ role within the framework of the new labor code (see our dispatch No. 090227). It introduces the notion of emergency for illegal dismissals...
EU: the Twenty-Seven get a new strategic framework for education and training with employers involved
The cooperation framework is divided up into cycles; the first one goes from 2009 to 2010. Each Member State is free to choose its own priorities. Nevertheless, the Twenty-Seven set figured...
Great Britain: consultation for the implementation of the European directive on agency workers
Agency workers will get new rights in terms of pay, paid leaves and overtime after 12 weeks at work. Measures will be implemented to prevent employers from firing these workers after 11 weeks to...
Italy: metallurgy as a testing ground for union opposition to the reform of the conventional system
No unitary platform for the renewal of the metallurgy CCN. Asking for a law on democratic rules for union representation and the validation of platforms and agreements by workers, the central...
Belgium: three new measures to avoid layoffs
A measure for white-collars only: the suspension of the labor contract. The last measure developed by the government is sort of like economic unemployment for blue-collar workers. "Before, there...
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
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Sweden: IF Metall union forced to end industrial dispute with Tesla
The news. After three years of conflict, the Swedish union IF Metall announced it would suspend its strike actions against Tesla starting Wednesday, August 19, after the American automaker...