Hélène Martinelli
Freelance
Most read articles by Hélène Martinelli
Italy: work-life balance at the heart of the new Lavazza agreement
The News. Italian coffee giant Lavazza and the Fai-Cisl and Uila unions signed an agreement on June 30th that emphasizes work flexibility. This text, concluded for three years (2026–2028)...
8 September 2026
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
Latest articles by Hélène Martinelli
Success for Fincantieri’s employee share ownership plan
The employee share ownership plan launched this year by Fincantieri shipyards, one of the world leaders in the sector, has achieved a take-up rate of 22% worldwide, in the group’s...
15 November 2024
Italy: aerospace and defence group Leonardo turns to referrals
Italian state-controlled aerospace and defence group Leonardo is struggling to find highly specialised staff and has decided to resort to co-optation, or staff referrals. “Dear colleague...
8 November 2024
Italy: ‘smart working’ on the rise at large companies
Hybrid working or 'smart working' as it is legally known in Italy, is becoming increasingly widespread at large companies in the country. The annual study by Milan's Politecnico University...
6 November 2024
Italy: UniCredit fosters staff retraining and generational renewal
A new plan to overhaul the Italian bank (32,381 employees), which has been approved by the unions, puts the emphasis on training: 600 employees will follow an innovative requalification programme...
30 October 2024
Italy: companies in Rome encouraged to adopt remote work during preparations for Jubilee
In the run-up to Jubilee 2025, which opens on 24 December 2024, the Mayor of Rome and the social partners signed a pact on 16 October encouraging private companies to make maximum use of hybrid or...
28 October 2024
Italy: bill to make labour market ‘more flexible’ passes first reading in parliament
After a lengthy parliamentary process, Giorgia Meloni government's labour bill – originally conceived as an appendix to the 2023 budget – was adopted by the Chamber of Deputies on 9 October...
18 October 2024
Italy: energy sector integrates new professions and steps up training
Recognising new professional profiles linked to renewable energy and digitalisation, boosting workers, employability and recruiting young people: these are the aims of two agreements signed in...
10 October 2024
Italy: Poste Italiane paves way for four-day week and endometriosis leave
Poste Italiane, Italy's postal service provider and the country's largest employer with 120,000 staff, renewed its collective agreement at the end of July. The agreement makes it possible to trial...
12 September 2024
Italy: retail sector collective agreement introduces new professional profiles
The collective agreement for Italy's mass market retail sector has finally been renewed, five years after its predecessor expired. The main new feature is an overhaul of the job and salary grid to...
10 September 2024
Italy: gender equality at heart of new footwear sector collective agreement
The social partners in Italy's footwear sector, which employs around 75,000 people, reached an agreement in July to renew their collective agreement. In addition to an average pay rise of €191...
6 September 2024
Italy: new food industry collective agreement focuses on purchasing power
The collective agreement for Italy's food industry, which was renewed this spring, covers numerous categories and sectors (including, for example, coffee and food supplements), representing some...
4 September 2024
Italy: utility group Hera pens agreement to combine growth and well-being
The 'good work pact' (Il patto del buon lavoro), signed in July by the multi-utility group Hera (electricity, gas and water distribution and waste management), aims to guarantee a "just...
28 August 2024
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: Council curbs the Commission’s proposed easing of social safeguards in digital legislation
The news. On 21 October 2026, the Council of the EU agreed its negotiating mandate on the Digital Omnibus, proposed by the Commission in November 2025 to ease several provisions in digital...
3 November 2026
Croatia: 7.6% minimum wage increase from 1 January 2027
The news. On 29 October, the Croatian Council of Ministers adopted a decree setting the minimum wage for 2027. This will rise from €1,050 to €1,130 gross per month from 1 January next...
3 November 2026
UK: trade unions now have a statutory right of access to workplaces
The news. Since 30 October, British trade unions (certified as independent) have been able to gain physical access to the premises of businesses with more than 21 employees in order to meet staff...
2 November 2026
Spain: metal industry employers cut sick pay top-ups
To curb absenteeism, Spanish social partners in the metal sector are introducing new clauses into regional collective agreements to reduce the top-up payments made by employers during sick leave...
2 November 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
Ireland: minimum wage increase of 5,6% from 1 January 2027
The info. The Irish government has included a minimum wage increase of 79 cents in its Budget 2027, in line with recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. The rate will rise from €14.15...
13 October 2026
2
Denmark: government prepares implementation of pay transparency in March 2027
The news. On 8 October, the Danish executive submitted the bill transposing the European Pay Transparency Directive to the national Parliament. The text stems from an agreement between trade...
12 October 2026
3
EU: social partners put the Commission in the crossfire over quality jobs
The news. The second phase of social partner consultation on quality jobs ended on 28 September. A mandatory prerequisite for a social initiative in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning...
5 October 2026
4
China: draft bill to strengthen platform workers’ rights
On 8 October, the Chinese government published a draft bill open for consultation aimed at providing minimum guarantees to non-employee platform workers in terms of pay and working conditions. The...
23 October 2026
5
Is a global wage freeze at Volkswagen possible?
The existence of an option to implement a global wage freeze until 2030 has been confirmed by the management of the German group Volkswagen, which nevertheless provides no details and refers to...
20 October 2026
6
France: paid leave for victims of sexual and domestic violence finally adopted
The news. On 13 October, the French National Assembly unanimously approved, among voting members, the “comprehensive bill” aimed at protecting victims of sexual and gender-based...
14 October 2026