Netherlands: unions plan week of strikes in push to maintain the early retirement scheme
On 7 September, the Dutch trade unions FNV, CNV and VCP launched a week of strike action to reach an agreement with the government and employers on maintaining the Early Retirement Scheme (RVU)...
9 September 2024
Fashion retailer New Look commits to human rights due diligence measures
New Look and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) announced on August 27 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce due diligence measures for...
Italy: gender equality at heart of new footwear sector collective agreement
The social partners in Italy's footwear sector, which employs around 75,000 people, reached an agreement in July to renew their collective agreement. In addition to an average pay rise of €191...
6 September 2024
Germany: battle for jobs in the offing at Volkswagen
The iconic German carmaker has sparked fury among employees and staff representatives by announcing the possible closure of factories in Germany, the termination of the job guarantee agreement and...
France: La Poste commits to harnessing skills acquired by caregiving employees
On 12 July 2024, French postal service group La Poste signed a new agreement with the CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC and UNSA trade unions to support its 5,200 postal workers who provide care. The...
Italy: new food industry collective agreement focuses on purchasing power
The collective agreement for Italy's food industry, which was renewed this spring, covers numerous categories and sectors (including, for example, coffee and food supplements), representing some...
4 September 2024
H&M and industriALL Global Union bolster agreement on subcontracting practices
Nine years after a first agreement aimed at developing representation and collective relations among suppliers, H&M, the Swedish trade union IF Metall and the global federation industriALL...
Italy: utility group Hera pens agreement to combine growth and well-being
The 'good work pact' (Il patto del buon lavoro), signed in July by the multi-utility group Hera (electricity, gas and water distribution and waste management), aims to guarantee a "just...
Geopost commits to regulate subcontracting in a global agreement
On July 22, the La Poste group subsidiary signed an amendment to the social agreement that has bound it since 2017 with the global services union federation UNI Global Union. It brings a strong...
27 August 2024
United Kingdom: union fails in bid for recognition at Amazon
The GMB union failed to secure a sufficient number of votes to officially represent staff at Amazon’s Coventry warehouses, which would have forced the American online retail giant to...
Luxembourg: €500 bonus for banking sector employees in 2025
After six months of difficult negotiations, the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Aleba, LCGB and OGBL trade unions announced on 11 July that they had reached an agreement on...
France: Engie Energie Services trials four-day week
On 24 June, the management of the French energy group's services subsidiary and the CFE-CGC, CGT and FO trade unions signed an agreement governing a four-day working week trial for operational...
15 July 2024
Italy: new collective agreement for tourism industry includes progress on gender equality and quality of life at work
On 5 July, the social partners in Italy's tourism industry renewed the national collective agreement. The agreement, which covers some 290,000 hotel workers (rising to more than 400,000 during the...
Spain: stumbling blocks in negotiations over 37.5-hour week
The government is offering greater flexibility in the distribution of working hours in a bid to convince employers to accept the transition to a 37.5-hour week, instead of the current 40 hours...
10 July 2024
France: Monoprix signs an agreement on night work during the Olympic Games
On 17 June 2024, Monoprix along with two trade union bodies, CFDT and CFE-CGC reached an agreement on night work during the Olympic Games (the CGT union did not sign). The agreement will run for 9...
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...
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
France: construction sector turns to long-term partial activity scheme
Amid the ongoing economic crisis hitting France’s construction sector, social partners in the public works industry (350,000 employees) signed an agreement at the end of October enabling companies...
21 November 2025
6
Inditex European works council mobilises on value sharing
In a joint statement, 10 trade unions comprising the European works council of the Inditex clothing group are calling for rallies in Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany...