All articles

Spain: the needed reform of employment services
The Spanish government is trying to reform the labor market to face the rapid unemployment increase - 42.7% in one year. The stakes include the modernization of employment services and the...
Mexico: 4.6% minimum wage increase after lobbying by companies trying to moderate remunerations to save jobs
Unions are expressing their discontent after this increased deemed limited, below the inflation increase curve. According to the commission in charge of arbitrating negotiations and defining...
EU: the European Commission evaluates its actions on restructurings
On December 16, 2008, the European Commission presented a report on restructurings in Europe. The document gives a detailed evaluation of actions carried out at the European level. With this...
Denmark: dialogue between management and employees reduces industrial accidents
A safety culture at work, which advocates day-to-day dialogue between representatives and employees, creates a more secure environment and fewer industrial accidents. This is the conclusion of the...
Netherlands: manager gets his golden parachute in court
Jan Peter Schmittmann, 52, former leader of the Dutch operations of the ABN Amro bank, obtained, on December 30, 2008, an €8-million leave bonus. His employer, the second largest bank in the...
Finland: Nokia creates a stir with a voluntary leave policy for its oldest employees
The Finnish group Nokia announced that its employees with over fifteen years of seniority may leave the company with one year's wages. This offer concerns 5.000 people around Helsinki and will...
5 January 2009
EU: political agreement on the maritime labor convention
After the ILO adopted, in 2006, the maritime labor convention, the European social partners engaged collective negotiations in the light of article 139 of the Treaty, reaching an agreement...
G4S: international framework agreement
The body of the agreement states that employees “have the right to organize unions in a free and fair atmosphere.” The local management is invited to facilitate union members’ access to G4S’...
Germany: new measures on January 1, 2009
During its last meeting of the year, the Bundesrat, the Upper House of the German Parliament, implemented a series of laws concerning employment and social contributions. They add to other laws...
Suspension of the information thread until January 5, 2009
Because of the Holidays, we are going to suspend our information thread from until January 5, 2009, am. Our database will remain available for consultation during that period. The Planet Labor...
24 December 2008
Netherlands : focus on the temporary reduction of working hours scheme due to credit crisis
Due to the credit crisis the Dutch government has created a special reduction of working hours scheme (werktijdverkorting, or WTV in short, see our article 080934). This will enable companies who...
Czech Republic: the automobile crisis will be more serious than anticipated
Skoda Auto. The Czech Republic’s biggest exporter is to scale down operations by three percent due to a sharp decline in demand, the company announced last week. This would result in nearly 870...
Portugal: transnational funding to save Qimonda from bankruptcy
Portugal is granting a 100 million euro loan to the Qimonda company (subsidiary of the German multinational company Infineon) to avoid bankruptcy. The loan granted by the national Portuguese bank...
EU: the mission for flexicurity presents its report
Gerard Larcher's Flexicurity Mission rendered its report during the Council on Employment and Social Affairs of December 17. This report follows the communication of the European Commission...
Argentina: collective bargaining increased of nearly 40% in one year
The numerous social conflicts led to a major increase in collective bargaining during the third quarter of 2008. It increased of 37% compared to the same period in 2007. Most concern wage...
Mexico: campaign to prevent dismissals and strengthen the human capital
The Mexican association of human resources managers launched a campaign among businesses to prevent dismissals due to the crisis. Specialists propose that employers adopt a strategy in five points...
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
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
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
3
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
4
Italy: European pay transparency directive, a major step forward for businesses
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
5
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
6
France: government proposes suspending pension reform
French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu, reappointed on 10 October after resigning four days earlier, delivered his general policy speech to the National Assembly on 14 October. He announced the...
15 October 2025