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: 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: 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
France: following the post-Covid boom, large companies scale back on remote working
In the post-pandemic context, large French groups multiplied generous remote working agreements before reversing the trend from 2024 onwards. What is the extent of this phenomenon? mind RH...
29 October 2026
2
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
3
France: National Assembly votes for mandatory bargaining on sexual and gender-based violence
The news. On 8 October, French MPs voted to extend the scope of mandatory annual negotiations to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In practice, in addition to pay, working hours and...
9 October 2026
4
France: Iliad structures its skills management around AI
The news. On 9 April, Iliad (11,600 employees in France), the parent company of telecoms operator Free, concluded an agreement on jobs and career path management with its representative trade...
21 October 2026
5
France: how CDC Habitat aims to better promote the expertise of its employees
The housing division of the French public group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, CDC Habitat (10,800 employees), established new measures on skills in July. They are set out in two agreements...
15 October 2026
6
France: La Poste strengthens regional management of jobs and skills
La Poste’s 2026-2028 agreement on the management of jobs, professional pathways and gender diversity in occupations puts the emphasis on supporting mobility and career changes, relying on a...
22 October 2026