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: Employers’ representatives seek to limit the rights of works councils
The Employers' Federation of German Employers' Associations (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände - BDA) published a report at the end of September in which it proposes a...
8 October 2026
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
Germany: a negotiation timetable and the prospect of industrial action at Volkswagen
The news. On 23 October, the German carmaker Volkswagen and the trade union IG Metall announced the opening of negotiations on wages, the new cost-cutting programme and job cuts. They will take...
27 October 2026
Germany: non-EU recruitment remains marginal despite skilled immigration reform
The news. Nearly a year and a half after the entry into force of the “Skilled Immigration Development Act”, only 4% of businesses have recruited at least one employee directly from a...
28 October 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: what measures do the main parties standing in the federal elections envisage for the world of work?
Early parliamentary elections are to be held in Germany on 23 February. As such, mind RH is presenting a summary of the measures concerning the world of work proposed by the main parties already...
5 February 2025
Germany: debate rages on introducing one-day wait for sick pay and ditching electronic system
Amid a sharp rise in absenteeism in Germany since the pandemic, a debate has emerged on whether the country should abolish pay on the first day of sick leave. With this in mind, several employers'...
13 January 2025
Germany: vast savings and job cuts plan agreed at Volkswagen but it is not a panacea
Following historic negotiations, the IG Metall trade union, the central works council and Volkswagen management agreed on Friday 20 December on major cost-cutting measures and significant...
7 January 2025
Germany: short-time working to be extended from 12 to 24 months in response to industrial job cuts
With almost 81,000 industrial jobs already lost in the first nine months of the year, announcements of further cuts in German industry are continuing apace. In addition to the aggressive and...
- HR
- Analysis
16 December 2024
Germany: without an agreement before Christmas, strike action is scheduled for start of 2025 at Volskwagen
The fourth meeting between the German automaker's social partners took place on Monday 9 December against a backdrop of massive warning strikes. Although eagerly awaited, the meeting failed to...
10 December 2024
Germany: decision of principle on calculation of overtime pay supplements for part-time workers
In a ruling published on 5 December, the Federal Labour Court (BAG) handed down a decision of principle establishing that part-time workers are entitled to the same overtime bonuses as their...
9 December 2024
Germany: cabinet adopts bill linking award of federal public contracts to compliance with collective agreements
On 27 November, Germany’s Federal Cabinet adopted a bill on the obligation to comply with industry-level collective agreements when awarding federal public contracts. The aim is to combat...
28 November 2024
Germany: Bosch cuts 5,500 jobs and reduces working hours and salaries for 10,000 employees
On 22 November, equipment manufacturer Bosch announced further cuts to its workforce. Around 5,500 positions in several business sectors are affected, including 3,800 in Germany. These cuts are in...
27 November 2024
Germany: Volkswagen heads for strike action as talks fail to achieve breakthrough
The third meeting between the IG Metall trade union, the central works council and Volkswagen management, which took place on 21 November, failed to produce an agreement, despite a proposal from...
22 November 2024
Germany: collapse of governing coalition sees several bills fall by the wayside
With Germany's coalition government losing its parliamentary majority, bills on areas including pension reform, regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment and the calculation...
19 November 2024
Germany: 5.1% pay rise over 25 months in metalworking industry
After two months of negotiations and several hundred walkouts across Germany, the social partners in the metalworking industry in two pilot regions (the coastal regions and Bavaria) have agreed on...
13 November 2024
Germany: 2025 to be a quieter year on the collective bargaining front
On 30 October, the Hans Böckler Trade Union Foundation’s Institute for Economic and Social Sciences (WSI) presented its timetable for the collective wage agreements to be negotiated by...
5 November 2024
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: several social texts promised for 2027
The news. On 4 November, the European Commission presented its work programme for 2027. While the focus is once again on simplification, several social texts have been announced. The European...
4 November 2026
France: a bill by the end of the year to transpose the European directive on platform workers
The qualified experts appointed by the French government in the framework of transposing the Directive on Platform Workers submitted their report on 2 November. It paves the way for a bill by the...
4 November 2026
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
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
British bank Barclays cuts 5,000 jobs to invest in AI
Banking group Barclays has announced the cutting of 5% of its global workforce by the end of the year. Beyond disappointing quarterly results, Barclays primarily intends to free up the funds...
28 October 2026
2
Germany: non-EU recruitment remains marginal despite skilled immigration reform
The news. Nearly a year and a half after the entry into force of the “Skilled Immigration Development Act”, only 4% of businesses have recruited at least one employee directly from a...
28 October 2026
3
EU: several social texts promised for 2027
The news. On 4 November, the European Commission presented its work programme for 2027. While the focus is once again on simplification, several social texts have been announced. The European...
4 November 2026