EU: CSR is back on the social agenda
New definition.  The Commission starts with an updated definition and lists the actions it intends to take.  Now, CSR means “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society,” a much...
EU: European employers in favor of a voluntary code of conduct for ethics in business
Image.  During this meeting, organized by the Employers’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EECS) under the aegis of the Polish Presidency of the EU, employers’ representatives...
18 October 2011
Brazil: authorities investigate the use of slavery in Zara’s workshops
bor and the San Paulo administration charged the Spanish clothing giant, Zara, with 52 infringements to labor standards after discovering, in mid-August, three clothing workshops belonging to the...
1 September 2011
Deutsche Telekom: unions file complaint with the OECD against Deutsche Telekom
Facts.  The complaint concerns events that took place at T-Mobile USA and Crnogorski Telekom, Montenegro.  In the first, unions denounce a union campaign organized by the management as early as...
13 July 2011
International: unions accuse DHL of violating fundamental social rights
About 80 union representatives from the DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx, DPD and Geopost companies from all over the world discussed, on Monday and Tuesday, the difficulties faced by the sector’s employees...
Spain: Telefónica shareholder pension schemes demand more socially responsible corporate policy
A first.  It’s the first time a Spanish pension fund has spoken this way, Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) wrote in a press release, pointing to the growing importance of socially responsible...
25 May 2011
United States: UWUA union wants to talk environment with GDF Suez
Usually, unionists, especially in the US, restrict themselves to industrial relations in the company, but “we are extremely devoted to green issues” declared Mark Brooks, UWUA representative in...
5 April 2011
EU: European Commission publishes guide for the procurement of socially responsible contracts
In its document, the Commission reminds that public authorities are major consumers, spending some 17 % of the EU’s GDP, i.e. half the GDP of Germany.  Hence the need to make them major...
31 January 2011
Sodexo: the union campaign against the French catering company is spreading and diversifying
On January 18, 2011, in a teleconference hosted by Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Danny Glover, chairman of the board of TransAfrica...
27 January 2011
Italy: memorandum of understanding between banks, businesses and the Ministry of Economic Development to promote the CSR culture
Dialogue first.  Born from “awareness that durability can help maintain the country’s economic and social fabric, promote trust into the market and speed up the recovery,” the memorandum aims to...
27 January 2011
Netherlands: “inspiration book” on everyday ecology on workplaces
The inspiration book (“inspiratieboek”) for “sustainable work” published by the FNV in mid-November is presented under the form of a small treaty on ecology at work. It is the result ff a...
24 November 2010
Italy: pharmaceutical-chemistry social partners reach national agreement on CSR guidelines
Federchimica and Farmindustria for employers and Filctem-CGIL, Femca-Cisl and Uilcem-Uil for unions (which signed the CCN in pharmaceutical-chemistry) signed, on November 18th in Milan, within the...
22 November 2010
EU: guide on socially responsible procurement of public contracts
In its document, the Commission reminds that public authorities are major consumers, spending some 17 % of the EU’s GDP, i.e. half the GDP of Germany.  Hence the need to make them major...
Germany: federal government launches “national action plan for corporate social responsibility”
Make CSR a characteristic of the German economy.  “Successful companies don’t grow on trees.  In the network world of the 21st century, businesses can no longer afford short-term strategies. ...
11 October 2010
Lidl: the German discounter was sentenced for wrongly pretending that its foreign subcontractors respected “fair trade rules”
After making tongues wag because of its “antiunion” policy and because it spied on its employees, the German discounter is trying to restore its image among its clientele. Against all odds, it...
23 April 2010
Netherlands: fines in the offing for businesses appealing to child labor
At the request of the small Christian orthodox party, Christen Unie, sanctions against businesses appealing to child labor are going to be tougher. It is no longer simply a question of withdrawing...
22 March 2010
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Living wage still struggles to align with social dialogue (study)
As part of its summer school on social dialogue, the ILO commissioned a study on the living wage. This concept, which takes workers' needs into account when determining wage levels and which major...
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EU: Commission to launch a business coalition against modern slavery
The news. On 16 October, the European Commission presented a new strategy to combat human trafficking. While labour exploitation reported by the authorities rose by 17% between 2021-2022 and...
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UK: government promises human rights due diligence bill
The news. On 4 November, the government promised, through Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds before the House of Lords, the statutory introduction of human rights due diligence in the UK. It...
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