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: pioneering employee mental health project at mutual insurance group DEVK Versicherungen
‘Mental health: stop the taboo’ is the title of the corporate health management (CHM) project that the German mutual insurance group DEVK Versicherungen implemented in 2022, earning it a...
6 June 2023
Germany: ruling confirms lower wages for temporary workers
Germany's Federal Labour Court (BAG) has rejected a complaint brought by a temporary warehouse worker at a major clothing retailer, who was seeking pay equal to that of her colleagues on permanent...
5 June 2023
In Berlin, the European Trade Union Confederation advocates for a four-day week
Combating the effects of inflation on wages, fighting for more collective agreements to be signed in all EU countries, but also pushing the option of a four-day working week. Such were the...
30 May 2023
Germany: whistleblower legislation finally adopted
La Commission de conciliation parlementaire entre le Bundesrat (Länder) et le Bundestag (députés) s'est accordée sur le projet de loi de protection des lanceurs d'alerte qui a été voté par les...
- HR
- News
16 May 2023
Germany: Helaba Bank hands staff a monthly sustainability bonus
German bank Helaba, the parent company of savings banks in the German state of Hesse, has announced that it will pay a monthly sustainability bonus (Nachhaltigkeitsprämie) to its 6,300...
24 April 2023
Germany: companies failing to meet required proportion of employees with disabilities to be taxed more heavily
The Bundestag has passed a law that aims to foster better integration of people with disabilities in the German labour market. Adopted by the house on Thursday 20 April, the new text abolishes the...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
21 April 2023
Germany: a bill centred on electronic recording of working time
On 19 April, the content of the long-awaited bill on compulsory time recording was leaked to the German media. Subject matter experts from the Federal Ministry of Labour have prepared a system...
20 April 2023
Germany: court ruling puts downward pressure on wages of works council employee representatives
A ruling on 10 January 2023 by Germany’s highest court, the Federal Court of Justice, means the career and salary evaluation practices that employers use for employees who have switched to the...
19 April 2023
Germany: IG Metall seeking to negotiate a four-day week in the steel industry
Almost 40 years after the protracted strike action that gradually led to the introduction in 1995 of the 35-hour working week in the German metal industry, the IG Metall trade union has announced...
6 April 2023
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
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