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
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...
21 January 2026
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
Germany: government seeks to facilitate immigration of skilled Indian workers
During a visit to India earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the strategic importance of attracting Indian workers to Germany, signing a series of cooperation agreements...
15 January 2026
Germany: Chancellor prepares ground for working time law reform
Since mid-January 2026, senior figures in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reopened debate over Germany’s working time legislation. The party’s...
26 January 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Gertrud Götze (T-Systems Austria/Schweiz): “The four-day week is an attractive project, but requires careful preparation”
Based on the initiative of Gertrud Götze, Vice President of the Human Resources Department for the Austrian and Swiss subsidiaries of German digital services company, T-Systems, the Austrian...
8 March 2023
Germany: court ruling on legality of paying different night time bonus premia
In a decision of principle published on 22 February 2023, Germany’s Federal Labor Court (BAG) ruled that bonus payments for night work paid by a company may differ depending on whether the work...
28 February 2023
Germany: rapid integration of Ukrainian refugees into the labour market (survey)
In August and September 2022, the Institute for Labour Market and Vocational Training surveyed more than 11,000 Ukrainian refugees in Germany. This Federal Employment Agency think tank collected...
- HR
- News
23 February 2023
Germany: a better ability to negotiate pay cannot justify a gender pay gap (court ruling)
In the week 13 February 2023 the German Federal Labour Court issued a ruling that could well change salary setting practices at the time of hiring, and result in the re-examination of thousands of...
Germany: whistleblower protection law hit by new delay
A bill passed in December by the German Bundestag, for law to protect whistleblowers (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz), was blocked on Friday 10 February by the Bundesrat, the chamber where the...
- HR
- News brief
17 February 2023
Germany: Berlin wants to introduce a one-year leave period for further education and training
Germany is preparing to introduce a system of continuing education for employees that has at its centre a one-year training leave opportunity, during which time the employee’s salary will be...
18 January 2023
Germany: judgment makes it easier to keep unused paid leave
In a potentially landmark ruling, issued on 20 December 2022, the German Federal Labour Court (BAG) decided that employees remain entitled to unused paid leave for an indefinite period, if their...
16 January 2023
Germany: court ruling will make it easier to terminate older workers employment contracts
In early December 2022, Germany’s Federal Labour Court ruled that when assessing the social criteria for determining the order in which employment contract terminations are made, how close an...
12 January 2023
Germany: bill adopted to promote a more inclusive labour market
At the end of 2022, the German government adopted a bill that sets out to foster a more inclusive labour market. The objective is to bring more people with disabilities into the primary labour...
Germany: Deutsche Bahn pays €150 bonus to staff proposing energy saving ideas
Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway operator and a huge consumer of electricity, revealed on Wednesday 14 December that its search for good ideas to reduce energy waste, launched in...
16 December 2022
Germany: Continental urged to communicate better with its employees over the theft of its data
After a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of 40 terabytes of data from the German automotive supplier Continental (54,000 German employees), it has taken four months and significant pressure...
15 December 2022
Germany: Chancellor Scholz looking to halt early retirement
One phrase uttered by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reignited the debate on pensions and the reforms being prepared for 2023. “We need to increase the share of those who can actually...
- HR
- News brief
13 December 2022
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
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
2026 TRENDS — Social dialogue, a major challenge in the deployment of AI in companies
mind RH is analysing the trends that will shape 2026. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a force that goes far beyond efficiency gains and productivity improvements. It is reshaping tasks...
4 February 2026
The major trends of 2026
New regulations coming into force, economic uncertainty, evolving skills requirements… More than ever, the HR function will play a strategic role within organizations in 2026. mind HR...
3 February 2026
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
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...
21 January 2026
2
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
3
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
4
Italy: collective agreement for rubber and plastics sector focuses on new skills
A month ahead of schedule, the Federazione Gomma Plastica employers' organisation and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions have renewed the collective agreement for the rubber and...
5 January 2026
5
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...
15 January 2026
6
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