Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in GermanyAs a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Expertise
As a correspondent in Berlin for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business world and labour market. My areas of interest include co-management, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Most read articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: introduction of the concept of partial incapacity for work
The news. On 10 July, the German Parliament definitively adopted the “Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in the Statutory Health Insurance System”...
27 August 2026
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
15 September 2026
Germany: a “simplification” proposal for the Corporate Governance Code
In early August, the Government Commission presented proposals to reform the Deutscher Corporate Governance Kodex (DCGK), Germany’s Corporate Governance Code. The proposals are primarily aimed at...
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
26 August 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: crisis at Volkswagen and warning strikes in metalworking industry
Germany's metalworking and automotive sectors are going through a difficult time, with a series of major developments occuring concurrently. We learned on Monday that the management at Volkwagen...
29 October 2024
Germany: bill presented to protect employees against AI and surveillance
On 16 October, Germany's labour and interior ministries set out the broad outline of a bill to protect employees' personal data in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) use in the workplace...
22 October 2024
Germany: four-day week experiment yields mixed results
On 18 October, the results of the study on the four-day week in Germany were presented by a team from the University of Münster. According to the data collected from the 41 companies involved...
21 October 2024
Germany: debate surrounding €1,000 back-to-work bonus
On 2 October, the German cabinet adopted an amendment to the law to modernise unemployment insurance and promote work as part of the growth initiative presented this summer. The central measure...
8 October 2024
Germany: reform tabled to develop workplace pensions
On 18 September, the German cabinet adopted the draft second law to “strengthen occupational pensions”, presented by the labour and finance ministries. According to labour minister...
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25 September 2024
Switzerland: 67.1% of voters reject reform of occupational pension system
On Sunday 22 September, the Swiss rejected by a wide margin the government's plan to reform the federal law on pension plans (BVG), in a vote initiated by left-wing parties and trade unions. Some...
Germany: Berlin grapples with diverging pressures on migration policy
Under pressure from the electoral success of the far right, Germany is continuing to roll out an increasingly restrictive migration policy, to the point of reintroducing controls at all its land...
17 September 2024
Germany: collective bargaining kicks off in metalworking industry
Collective bargaining in the metalworking industry between the IG Metall union and the employers’ federation Gesamtmetall began on Wednesday 11 September in the districts of...
12 September 2024
Germany: Volkswagen terminates collective agreement on job security in force for 30 years
Volkswagen management has formally terminated a number of collective agreements, including the job security agreement, which has been in force since 1994 and is valid until 2029. Redundancies may...
11 September 2024
Germany: IG Metall floats idea of four-day week at Volkswagen
Since Volkswagen's shock announcement last Thursday of likely redundancies and plant closures in Germany for its flagship VW brand, trade unions and politicians have been bracing themselves for...
9 September 2024
Germany: battle for jobs in the offing at Volkswagen
The iconic German carmaker has sparked fury among employees and staff representatives by announcing the possible closure of factories in Germany, the termination of the job guarantee agreement and...
5 September 2024
Germany: tax incentives to get more people working
On 17 July, Germany's federal government adopted an "initiative for economic growth" comprising 49 measures, some of which are designed to make it easier for certain groups, such as part-time...
2 September 2024
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: insurance sector social partners commit to addressing violence and harassment at work
The news. The trade union UNI Europa Finance and the employers’ federations Insurance Europe, Amice and Bipar signed an addendum to their 2022 joint declaration on diversity and inclusion on...
18 September 2026
Juliette Baudry (Boiron): “An intergenerational mechanism to better accommodate different life stages”
Since 1 September 2026, employees of the pharmaceutical group Boiron (1,700 employees in France) have benefited from a “key life moments account”. Resulting from an agreement signed last February...
18 September 2026
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 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
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
2
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
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
26 August 2026
5
Sweden: IF Metall union forced to end industrial dispute with Tesla
The news. After three years of conflict, the Swedish union IF Metall announced it would suspend its strike actions against Tesla starting Wednesday, August 19, after the American automaker...
26 August 2026
6
United Kingdom: trade unions can now use electronic and workplace voting
The news. The provisions of the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 authorising electronic and workplace voting for trade union ballots came into force on Tuesday, 25 August. They apply to trade union...
25 August 2026