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Germany: the IG Metall demands more than a 6.5% wage increase for 3.4 million employees
The collective agreement negotiated in 2007 for the 3.4 million employees in the electrotechnical metallurgy and automotive sectors will be over on October 30, 2008. The IG Metall is already...
EU: the European social partners expressed their point of view concerning the ongoing files
On Thursday, July 10, on the periphery of the informal meeting of the European labor ministers – the first social meeting organized by the French presidency of the EU – the European social...
Germany: last minute collective agreement for trade employees after 18 months of conflict
For a year and a half, Verdi, the services' union, has been bargaining with the trade federations of several German Lander to reach a collective agreement affecting 2.7 million employees. The...
Sweden: new anti-discrimination law
The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) adopted, on July 4, 2008, a new anti-discrimination law which will come into force on January 1, 2009. It is an update and an overhaul of of the current...
Italy: Fiat to temporarily lay off thousands of employees in its Italian factories from August onwards
The car manufacturer Fiat sent to unions, on July 7, 2008, its decision to appeal to "social shock absorbers" in most of its Italian factories to compensate the 4-6 weeks of temporary cessation of...
EU: the CJEC states there can be direct discrimination in the absence of a victim
The Court of Justice of the European Communities gave a judgement on July 10, in a case where an employer said in a public statement that he would not recruit immigrants. According to the Court...
Denmark: unions and employers disagree on the establishment of a commission for equal pay between men and women
The LO confederation is having a hard time adopting a position with a view to establishing a commission for equal pay, which public service strikers requested last spring. But the government...
Germany: the IG Metall goes on the offensive a few months before the start of the electoral campaign
Whereas the pilot negotiations between the IG Metall union and employers concerning the funding of grdual retirement beyond 2009 are at a standstill, the IG Metall presented, on July 9, 2008, a...
Sweden: important reform of daily sickness allowances
For its 2008 budget, the Swedish center-right government set as a priority the fight against absenteeism on the grounds of sickness and early retirement for incapacity for work. In the Spring, it...
Scor: the joint committee of the reinsurer’s European companies wants to propose alternatives to the 200 job cuts announced by the management
Denis Kessler, CEO of the reinsurance company, announced 200 job cuts, taking by surprise European staff representatives, which are now getting ready to propose alternatives and suggestions about...
Dexia: the group will become a European Company
The board of the Franco-Belgian bank Dexia (35.200 employees), approved, on July 3, the plans the changes in the operational organization of Dexia presented by the Group's Management Board. The...
Germany: the revision of the EWC directive arouses controversy
Adopted on July 2, 2008 by the European Commission (see our dispatch No. 080553), the proposal for the revision of the EWC directive was heavily criticized in Germany. The German Confederation of...
Corporate practices: Daimler’s “production learning system” to fight against the impact of demographic ageing
Introduced in 2004 in the Mannheim factory, the "Produktion Lern System" allowed to quicken and dynamize training courses and processes on an industrial site faced with many experienced workers...
International: Latin-American unions criticize the “return” directive adopted by the EU
Public outrage on the American continent against the European directive concerning the return of illegal third-country nationals. Reactions are particularly bitter in Latin America: unions and...
Italy: the CISL shuts a training institute down for embezzlement
The IAL (Istituto addestramento lavoratori – the CISL's training institute) shut its Abruzzo (central Italy) regional structure, which is subject to an investigation on embezzlement. This scandal...
Germany: Siemens gives details about 16.750 job cuts
On Tuesday, July 8, Peter Löscher, CEO of Siemens, announced that his company intended to cut 16.750 jobs, 5.250 of which in Germany, by 2010. The plan mostly concerns the administrative and sales...
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1
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
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EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
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Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...
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Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...