Germany: future reforms to interim work starting to make waves

The Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, Andrea Nahles has kept up momentum with multiple announcements on the content of her reform to temporary work and services contracts due to be presented this autumn. On the receiving end, employers’ bodies and temporary jobs agencies are vociferous in their reaction to the Minister’s drive to regulate temporary work pay and hours as well as prohibiting employers the use of temporary workers to sidestep the effects of strike action. In certain sectors such as the metals sector where unions have already negotiated advantageous collective agreements the selfsame unions see the law as useless because it is less generous than their previously negotiated provisions. Unions demand that the draft law does not encroach on their monopoly status during social partner negotiations.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

Minister’s plans keeping up the pace. Andrea Nahles, the Minister for Employment and Social Affairs is without doubt one of the most active Ministers of the Federal Government in terms of legislation, and employers are starting to get a bit winded. After introducing a universal minimum wage, pensions for single mothers, the right to retire at 63 for those with 45 years of contributions and most recently the law on a company single union, Andrea Nahles continues relentlessly to follow the govern

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
France: Medef publishes guide to support career transitions and retraining
France's largest employer federation Medef has provided its regional representatives with a practical guide designed to support career transitions and retraining. Structured around three key tools...
6 February 2026
EU: Commission wants to facilitate entry of international ‘talent’
In a recommendation published on 29 January, the European Commission calls on member states to take a series of measures to attract and retain international talent. It targets holders of skilled...
France: social partners’ conference on work, employment, and retirement sets out roadmap
Until the summer, French social partners from both the private and public sectors will hold talks on labour, employment and pensions, with the aim of developing shared positions to inform public...
ENI incorporates just transition and AI into global agreement
On 13 January, Italian energy group ENI renewed its global agreement on international industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and the just transition with Italian unions CGIL, CISL...
5 February 2026
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
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
2
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
3
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
4
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
5
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
6
EU: banking sector social partners commit to combating violence and harassment
On 15 January, the trade union federation UNI Europa Finance and three employers’ associations in the banking sector signed a joint statement on preventing violence and harassment in the...