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Belgium: daily press deals with employment of older workers and absenteeism
In the country of "pre-pensions", prejudices are tough. As everywhere else in Europe, Employment Policies aimed at older workers are confronted to mentalities. The Belgian press was also...
10 March 2006
Spain, Portugal and Greece announce open borders for new EU workers
The Council of ministers in charge of social affairs is meeting today in Brussels. As it was requested by several new EU members, participants will deal with the issue of free movement and the...
European Commission proposes to raise the ceiling of State aid
The European Commission is proposing to exempt more small subsidies from the notification obligation under EC Treaty state aid rules. The Commission proposes raising the ceiling of the current “de...
10 March 2006
Netherlands: lower rate of unionization
Whereas the unionization rate throughout the country is stable, one of the three trade-union organizations of the Netherlands, the Federation of the Dutch trade unions (FNV), lost 1,7 % of its...
Germany: Bundestag discusses equal opportunities between men and women at work
Following the international women's day, a debate on this issue took place at the Bundestag. The Green parliamentary group asked for a new law guaranteeing equal opportunities for men and women on...
Germany : a brochure on German social law is published
The Minister for Work published, on 8 March 2006, a brochure of 133 pages which summarizes the German social legislation. The brochure deals with sickness insurance, unemployment insurance...
The first inter-sector European agreement will soon be put into practice
The first inter-sector negotiation between European social partners has succeeded. It relates to crystalline silica, a issue which brought together two trade-union federations and 15 European...
Great Britain: Government introduces selective immigration for non-EU citizens
The Minister of the Interior presented, March 7, 2006, a plan to implement a selective immigration policy, privileging skilled immigrants and creating a points system. Its objective is to restrict...
Germany: Government wants to maintain seniors at work
The German government, on March 8, 2006, adopted its annual report on retirements, and announced a series of measures called "Initiative 50 plus", intended to promote the employment of old...
Poland: three bills to improve maternity leaves
The three bills proposing the extension of the paid maternity leave and the one that envisages to protect women after their paid leave were submitted, March 8, 2006, in first reading to the...
Spain: Volkswagen says no job cuts on Spanish production sites
Since the head office announced a restructuring plan that would affect 20 000 employees, the social climate in the group’s Spanish companies is very bad. Because of the Seat subsidiary company...
Ford Werke : an agreement guarantees employment in exchange for wage moderation
An agreement concluded between the management of Ford Werke, the German subsidiary of General Motors, and the work's council of the car manufacturer, March 6, 2006, envisages to maintain the...
Great Britain: the House of Lords examines a case of discrimination on grounds of age
The Committee of Appeals of the House of Lords, the highest judicial body of the country, is due to examine two complaints of former employees who were fired. This comes at a time when the...
Malte : Legislation on fixed-term contracts could be revised
Malta will have to change its social legislation, because it has failed to correctly transpose the directive on fixed-term contracts of 28 June 1999. Public sector employees have indeed been...
Poland: legislation on temporary work is criticized
Getting hired under a permanent employment contract is becoming rare in Poland. Indeed, one employee out of four is a temporary worker. Poland is the second EU country in terms of temporary...
Green light given to rescue of Italian airline Volare Airlines SpA
The Commission today authorised rescue aid for the Italian airline Volare Airlines SpA. This short-term aid is intended to rescue the firm from bankruptcy and allow it to take steps to continue...
7 March 2006
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
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...
2
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
3
AI-driven job cuts on the rise in tech sector
As leading tech companies ramp up investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and roll out transformation plans to boost its development, layoffs across the sector are increasing. But are the job...
7 October 2025
4
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...
5
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
6
Carrefour and UNI Global Union renew global agreement on promoting social dialogue and diversity
On 17 October, Carrefour, one of the world’s largest retailers, with nearly 500,000 employees worldwide, and global union federation UNI Global Union renewed their global agreement on...