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Great-Britain : Workers at Peugeot’s Ryton factory vote against strike
According to the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), workers at Peugeot's Ryton plant voted not to go on strike to defend the plant, which is scheduled to close in 2007. (Ref. 06565)
2007 will be «European Year of Equal Opportunities for all»
Council and Parliament give green light to the event. The aim is to promote equal opportunities and to make Europeans aware of their rights. The European Commission also wants to show "how...
Outcome of the EU Council of ministers in charge of Social Affairs (June 1 and 2 2006)
The EU Ministers in charge of Social Affairs did not manage to reach a compromise on the working time draft directive but succeeded in furthering others issues such as the European gender...
Sweden: a law to improve the job security of employees with a fixed-term contract
The Swedish Parliament passed, at the end of May, a law which secures the professional trajectories of employees working under a fixed-term contract. (Ref. 06562)
Zara: a case of child work revives the question of the respect of good behavior codes
Following the report published by the Portuguese weekly magazine, Expresso, on children in the north of Portugal who apparently work for one of the suppliers of the Inditex group, owner of Zara...
5 June 2006
Germany : on an unemployment background, the passing of the so-called law of «adaptation» of the Hartz IV reform reopens the debate about the employment policy
Review of the papers from May 29th to June 4th 2004. The German press widely goes back over the debate for or against Hartz IV, which opposed yesterday the conservatives to the socio-democrats on...
Great Britain: relief after the failure of negotiations on the “working time” Directive
The failure of the negotiations conducted in Luxembourg on the revision of the Working time Directive (see our article n° 06552) was welcomed in Great Britain (Réf. 06555)
2 June 2006
Poland : commentary on the «information and consultation of workers» Act
On 21 May 2006, the new act on informing and consulting employees, that implemented the Directive on workers' information and consultation, entered into force (Official Journal 2006/550/3599)...
Belgium: three «anti-discrimination» bills
The Minister for Equal opportunities, Christian Dupont, presented, last May 24 to the Council of Ministers, three preliminary draft laws supplementing the Belgian legislative arsenal and...
Belgium: reform of factory inspectorates and fight against social fraud
The government adopted, on May 24, a strategic plan to fight against social fraud, which aims at optimizing the operation of these services. It also announced its intention to fight against the...
Volkswagen: management is ready to pay a lot to accelerate job cuts
At the beginning of May, Volkswagen announced its intention to cut 20000 jobs, mainly in its German factories. But the collective agreement currently into force excludes any lay-off until 2011...
Spain: trade union CCOO denounce the under-recognition of professional cancers
The trade union CCOO presented, on May 31, a report on the relation between cancer and employment, according to which 160 000 cases of diagnosed cancers are of professional origin. The trade union...
EU Council of Ministers : no agreement on the “working hours” directive
The EU Ministers in charge of social Affairs, gathered on June 1 in Luxembourg, did not manage to agree on the draft revision of the "working hours" directive. It is the second time, after the...
Lithuania: low salaries, insufficient medical care and social instability hold back emigrants
Lithuanians living abroad say working conditions and social guarantees have to improve, in order for them to come back home. (Ref. 06551)
Spain: agreement on a plan to support the textile and clothing industries
The government, trade unions and employers' organization of textile concluded, last 26 May, an agreement on a plan to support the textile and clothing industries, which will be granted 870 million...
Germany: lower than unexpected unemployment, but tense situation on the apprenticeship market
During a press conference on 31 May 2006 in Berlin, Michael Glos, German Minister for Economy, was pleased with the retreat of unemployment in May, announced the same morning by the national...
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Spain: already well on the way to pay transparency?
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mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators
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