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France: a general smoking ban in public places
A decree of November 15th, 2006 follows the commitment of the Prime minister (see our article ref. 061014) to pursue the fight against tobacco addiction by insuring a ban on smoking in places...
Italy : new legislation for the protection of workers against asbestos risks
The innovations. The reform figuring under the new Title VI-bis of DLgs 626/694, is very close to the European directive:
Belgium : government wants to limit free movement of Bulgarian and Romanian workers
The Council of ministers approved, on November 17th, 2006, a draft royal decree restricting the free movement of workers from Romania and Bulgaria. The decree aims at applying to the workers of...
Poland: firms want to secure the loyalty of their employees
For Polish employers, it is a real challenge. One million Poles already work in EU countries, which, since May 2004, have opened their doors. And the flow is going on. Facing the threat of labor...
Germany: SME ‘s are the engine of job creation
According to a study introduced on November 16th, 2006 in Frankfurt by KfW - Bankengruppe, public banking group - since 2003, only German SME's have created jobs while the public sector and big...
British Airways: failure of negotiations on financing of pensions funds
British Airways and trade unions failed to reach an agreement on pension funds, last November 16. The failure is due to the question of retirement age. (Ref. 061156)
EU: agreement on Workers Health Protection from Crystalline Silica published in the OJEU
Multi-sectoral agreement signed last spring between the European social partners has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), making it the first voluntary agreement to...
Sweden: clashes over unemployment insurance reform
The victory of the Alliance, grouping of the Swedish center and right-wing parties, was based on the commitment taken by its leader, Fredrick Reinfeldt, to respect the Swedish model and to bring...
Renault Spain proposes negotiation for the shedding of 1300 jobs
Renegotiation of the company agreement. Renault wants to reach rapidly an agreement with the unions with, if possible, implementation end December stressing that “the negotiation is set in the...
Germany: the governmental commission on the reform of joint management is a failure
Created in August, 2005 by Gerhard Schröder and confirmed by Angela Merkel, this commission had to introduce proposals to update joint management and adapt it to European development. But on last...
British Airways consults unions on plan to finance pension fund deficit
According to the terms of the agreement, the airline management would pay £800 million (£300 more than planned) into the pension fund with a commitment to pay £50 millions per year for the three...
EU: parliament adopts the “services” directive
The draft directive on services in the interior market was adopted, on November 15th, 2006, by the European Parliament. Euro MP 's followed the common position of the Council. Prior to the vote...
Belgium: a bill to open up boards of directors to women
Socialist deputy Veronica Ghenne has submitted a bill, at the beginning of November, with five of her colleagues, with a view to setting up quotas in order to increase female presence at this...
Latvia: Employers are reluctant to inform about work accidents
Few employers are aware of work accidents in their companies. Only half of companies have a conducted a risk analysis. (Ref. 061145)
European Commission introduces its work program 2007 to Euro MP’s
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barosso, introduced, during the plenary session of the European Parliament, on November 14th, 2006, the working program of the European...
Germany: trade union confederation DGB wants to strongly reduce manual workers’ salaries
Is the German trade confederation DGB -and its eight trade unions members, which employ about 11 000 employees- the best employer in Germany or « the worst of the capitalists »? Information...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
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What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: government submits draft on pay transparency
On 6 March, the French government sent social partners a draft bill to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive. The text provides details on the implementation timetable, corporate...
9 March 2026
2
Spain: report proposes democratising employee participation
On 2 February, Spanish labour minister Yolanda Diaz presented the conclusions of a report on democracy in the workplace. The document, which calls for employees to be given a say in...
25 February 2026
3
Italy: Deliveroo and Glovo targeted by justice over courier working conditions
The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered two of Italy's leading food delivery platforms, Foodinho (Glovo) and Deliveroo, to be placed under judicial administration. According to...
9 March 2026
4
Germany: menopause issues finally gain corporate recognition
With 12 million women over 40 in the labour force, German companies and occupational health professionals are beginning to adopt support policies for those affected by menopause-related issues...
5
Sweden: government delays transposition of Pay Transparency Directive
On 11 March, the Swedish government announced it is postponing the transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive. Having originally targeted an entry into force on 1 July 2026, it has conceded a...
6
Valérie Decaux (La Poste): “Our older workers policy is based on individualisation to move beyond age-related-stigmatisation”
La Poste Group (nearly 200,000 employees in France) unveiled its first senior employment agreement in late February. The text outlines measures for early retirement assistance, workplace...