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: new definition of salaries for works council members
Following votes in the Bundestag (28 June) and Bundesrat (5 July), the draft 'second law amending the law on the organisation of companies' (BetrVG) has been definitively adopted, marking the...
18 July 2024
Germany: 11% of companies offer a four-day week
According to a survey carried out jointly by Randstad’s German subsidiary and the IfO Institute for Economic Research in Munich among a panel of 1,000 human resources managers, one German...
17 July 2024
Austria: a new law extends the legal framework surrounding teleworking
Austria’s Parliament has just passed a new law that makes the rules governing teleworking more flexible and more precise. Drawing on IT advances, teleworking can now be done from any location with...
4 July 2024
Germany: ground-breaking collective agreement and 6.85% salary increase for the chemical sector
On 27 June 2024 Germany’s chemical sector social partners: the IG BCE trade union and the BAVC employers’ body, signed a new collective agreement spanning 20 months until February...
4 July 2024
Germany: mixed interim results for the four-day week pilot project
Since February 2024, 45 German companies have been testing the four-day working week as part of a project launched by the consultancy firm Intraprenör, which has just published an interim...
3 July 2024
Germany: decline of codetermination continues, amid array of methods to circumvent practice (study)
The Institute for Codetermination and Corporate Governance (IMU), part of the Hans Böckler trade union foundation, has just published a study on the erosion of codetermination in Germany. In...
14 June 2024
Germany: measures outlined to foster work after retirement
Following the adoption of a reform designed to maintain pension levels at 48% of average wages beyond 2025, Hubertus Heil, Germany's minister for labour and social affairs, has outlined measures...
Germany: companies adjust to cannabis legalisation
Since 1 April, recreational cannabis has been legal for adults in Germany. In addition, limited production by associations will be possible from 1 July 2024. Although legal, cannabis still has...
10 June 2024
Germany: the headache of corporate initiatives against the far right
In the highly regulated world of Germany's social market economy, companies have generally avoided taking political positions externally and, even more so, internally. But the strong rise of the...
29 April 2024
Germany: new funding for retraining in the event of ‘structural change’
On 1 April 2024 significant provisions of the law to reinforce "the promotion of initial and ongoing training", adopted last year, came into force. The new retraining allowance covers employees...
2 April 2024
Germany: Deutsche Bahn proposes switch to 35-hour week with an ‘options-based’ model
After two months of failed collective bargaining and "surprise" strikes, the train drivers' union GDL and Deutsche Bahn have reached an innovative agreement on a 35-hour working week with no...
27 March 2024
Switzerland: debate around an ‘immigration tax’ on foreign workers intensifies
The idea of a tax on companies that take on foreign workers is gaining ground even in moderate liberal circles. The aim of its proponents is to limit economic immigration, which has been on the...
21 February 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
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