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Great Britain: TUC report shows workers are dissatisfied
Pay in line with the cost of living, less stress and reduced working hours : these are workers' main claims, according to a report published by the Trade Union Confederation TUC on September 1...
Belgium: amendment of the conventional prepension system
Two Royal Decrees issued on August 12, 2008 on conventional prepension were published in the Official Gazette (Moniteur Belge) on August 28, 2008. In keeping with the Generations Pact - the...
EU: first employers’ reactions against an extension of maternity leave
Revealed by a German daily, a first draft directive prepared by the services of the European Commissioner in charge of Employment and Social Affairs, to extend maternity leave from 14 to 18 weeks...
Germany: after the agreement on gradual early retirement, the IG Metall demands a 7% wage increase minimum
After months of conflict and on the eve of the beginning of the wage negotiations for the 3.6 million employees of the sector, the Social Partners of the metal and electronics sectors reached an...
EU: the Parliament wants to bind employers to develop action plans to reduce the gender pay gap
On September 3, 2008, in a resolution adopted by a crushing majority (562 for, 65 against and 6 abstentions), the Parliament adopted the initiative report of the Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia Pérez...
Great Britain: the communication workers union takes over TV
This is an unseen event: the first union channel was launched on July 31, 2008. The idea came from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) which is trying to appeal to young workers by exposing on...
EU: MEPs are discussing the “social package” of the European Commission
On September 2, 2008, MEPs expressed themselves on the series of propositions presented by the European Commission at the beginning of July as part of its "social package." This debate is a...
Italy: Venice’s criminal court renders a historical verdict against seven Fincantieri managers for deaths caused by asbestos
21 years and four months in jail in total, this is the accumulative sentence of the seven leaders of the former Breda (Fincantieri) who the Venice court deemed responsible of negligent homicide...
Denmark: the government is trying to bring back the early retirement issue but is faced with major opposition
The offer to move voluntary early retirement (efterlønnen) which is one of the Commission's recommendations concerning the labor market, and which was presented during a first tripartite meeting...
Finland: the construction site of the EPR atomic reactor threatened by a strike
After some irregularities at a subcontractor of the Bouygues Company, the Finnish union of building workers is threatening to launch a strike on the construction site of the EPR atomic reactor...
Germany: the Grand Coalition wants to improve the protection of “time savings accounts” in the event of a bankruptcy
On August 13, 2008, after years of debate, the government adopted a bill to improve the protection of "long-term time savings accounts" (Langzeitkonten) in the event of a bankruptcy (Flexi II.)...
BNP-Paribas: amendment to the EWC agreement
The management of the French bank BNP-Paribas (169.000 employees throughout the world, 130.000 of them in Europe) and the members of its European Works Council bargained for an amendment to the...
Hungary: unions feel that the government gives insufficient representation for workers’ interests in the new bipartite forum on economic matters
Union concerns. The Governmental Decree [1054/2008. (VIII. 4.)] setting out the competences of GEF explicitly states that the establishment of the forum does not concern the activities of the...
EU: the ETUC gives a trade union Memorandum to the French Presidency of the EU
On September 1, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) met with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, current chair of the European Council, to submit a trade union memorandum which presents...
Germany: Ver.di calls on opposition to the announced overhaul of Deutsche Telekom’s call centers
On August 21, 2008, the German telephone company Deutsche Telekom presented its restructuring plan for call centers, which will result in 39 call centers closing in two years. The management...
Netherlands: the future of pensions at the center of the 2009 Finance Bill
The 2009 Finance Bill, which will officially be presented on September 16, gives much space to social issues. This budget is aimed at maintaining households' buying power, in a context of...
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1
Spain: new terms and conditions for in-company training contracts
On 25 November, Spain's Council of Ministers approved a regulation on training contracts. This text defines the terms and conditions for hosting work-study students and interns doing professional...
2
France: sectors feel economic slowdown to differing degrees
The latest data on France’s occupational sectors (branches professionnelles), covering the year 2023, show how employment trends are shaping workplace dynamics. After a more favourable period for...
3
Germany: apprenticeship openings fall sharply in manufacturing and chemicals
From 1 January 2026, Dutch collective agreements for temporary employment agencies will alter the employment conditions of temp workers. Agencies will be required to pay these workers at least the...