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EU : a study on European works councils
77 companies took part to the survey, representing 10 industrial sectors in 12 countries of the European Union. A third have a workforce of over 50,000, just under a third have less than 10,000...
Suez-Gaz de France: update of the information-consultation process for the merger
Suez's management declared, on January 8, that the unfavourable judgement rendered by its European dialogue body "end the procedure of consultation of staff representation bodies" and enables to...
Portugal: a white paper on labour law reform
Relationship between law, collective agreements and labour contract. Traditionally, the law established binding minima that could only be improved by the collective agreements and the labour...
Estonia: the unions oppose the bill on employment contracts
The bill of the Reformist Party in government seeks to facilitate severance by simplifying procedures and reducing the period of notice as well as the amount of severance pay. The unions reacted...
Italy: consultation between the government and unions on the “wage issue”
The "wage issue" was presented as the government's priority for 2008. It is also a priority for the Cgil, the Cisl and the Uil which, in their November 24 platform, asked for a reduction of the...
Bulgaria: unions ready to strike against the draft bill on collective bargaining
Unions threatened to launch a general strike in the spring if Parliament adopts the draft bill on collective bargaining, which would establish a conciliation procedure before launching any...
Germany: the government launches a big training offensive
The federal government adopted, on January 9, 2008, a series of measures to improve training and vocational training in Germany. According to Annette Schavan, German Secretary of State for...
Great Britain: increasing unpaid overtime
According to the trade union confederation TUC, the number of employees working unpaid overtime has strongly increased in 2007. Unions are worried and want to launch a national campaign against...
EU: EWCs calling to the Commission’s attention about the content of the future amended directive on EWCs
Welcoming a possible modifications of the directive on European works' councils (see our article No. 071000,) several EWCs (Alcatel-Lucent, Chemtura, Italcementi and Securitas) sent Vladimir...
Spain: Nissan announced 450 job cuts in Barcelona
The management announced unions, on January 3, 450 jobs and 60 temp job cuts starting from April. Whereas during the past 5 years, Nissan was realizing record production in Spain, the manufacturer...
Hungary: judgment on the lawfulness of a strike under a valid collective agreement
According to the decision of the Metropolitan Court of Budapest, laid down last December 21, 2007, a strike lanched by the Independent Union of Rail Man (VDSZSZ) to request a compensation for...
Germany: employers dread tough tariffs for 2008
A few days before wage negotiations in the public sector start, which will be the beginning of a series of other negotiations, employers' organizations warned : too important tariff agreements...
Great Britain: agenda for labour law reforms
Several texts concerning labour law are coming into effect this year. They notably plan to toughen sanctions for non-respect of minimum wage, mostly for temp work agencies, employers' legal...
Belgium: several national collective agreements adopted
The national Labour Council approved, on December 20, 2007, a series of national collective agreements (CCT) and of judgments to enforce several parts of the interprofessional agreement for the...
Luxembourg: new collective agreement for the banking sector
After long and tough negotiations, the Association of Luxembourg's Banks and Bankers (ABBL) and the largest union in the sector, Aleba, signed, on December 28, a new collective agreement for the...
Spain: government and social partners signed a corporate social responsibility agreement
According to the agreement signed by the social dialogue follow-up commission, the government must create a CSR national committee, in which the most representative employers' and union...
7 January 2008
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1
France: austerity measures proposed in social security financing bill for 2026
Limits on sick leave, the end of social security exemptions for apprentices, and the introduction of additional birth leave: the 2026 social security financing bill, presented to parliament on 14...
16 October 2025
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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
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Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
4
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
5
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...
6
France: generative AI and older workers central to BPCE’s skills management strategy
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...