UniCredit: signature of a joint declaration with the EWC on responsible selling
On May 27 management at UniCredit and its EWC signed a joint declaration setting out the fundamental principles of and the arrangements to put in place responsible selling practices. This move...
Italy: unions negotiate changes to working time in moves to avoid massive redundancies in the retail sector
1,500 jobs will be saved in the Simply Market supermarket chain after an unprecedented agreement safeguarding jobs in return for changes to working time and a freeze on certain elements of...
Turkey: Unexpected wave of strikes in automotive industry
Most people were surprised by the unexpected and spontaneous wave of strikes in the Turkish automotive industry in Bursa, Ankara, Sakarya and Kocaeli. Over 20,000 metal workers in Renault, Fiat...
Great Britain : new Conservative government tightens up on thresholds for lawful strikes
The new Conservative government has made good on its election manifesto pledge to further tighten the regulations governing lawful strikes and industrial action. In the Queen’s Speech, it has laid...
Germany: Deutsche Bahn and the rail union EVG have signed a new collective agreement covering 100,000 rail workers
A week after the GDL train drivers union open-ended strike was unexpectedly called off, the large rail union EVG (Eisenbahn- und Verkersgewerkschaft) together with management at Deutsche Bahn (DB)...
Russia: ‘white collar’ unions are timidly surfacing
In Russia, service sector employee unions rarely have a voice. Employer pressure as well as fragmentation in the sector contribute to the more individual aspect of the sector. This sector enjoys...
Great Britain: new Conservative government delivers upon its main manifesto commitments in Queen’s Speech
The new Conservative government has delivered upon the main pledges in its general election manifesto by laying out its legislative commitments for the coming session of Parliament in the Queen’s...
Spain: UGT union prepares to reduce its structures in an effort to streamline
The UGT union has embarked upon a change in the make up of and a reduction in the size of its structure. Existing sectoral organizations will be merged into three major federations. The new UGT...
Italy: opinion divided over Jobs Act’s effects and first employment numbers
Determined to produce rapid proof of the efficacy of the Jobs Act, on May 26 Italy’s Labor Department published employment data for April showing 48,000 new permanent employment contracts were...
Italy: when the unions use collective bargaining to counter the effects of the Jobs Act
In just a few months at least three company agreements have been reworked as anti-Jobs Act ‘hybrid agreements’. The move is not sector specific. Novartis in the pharmaceuticals sector, Lucchini...
AKKA: an agreement on workers’ involvement in the future SE
On March 30 management at the French engineering and technology advisory firm signed an agreement with a SNB that puts in place an EWC for the soon to be established SE. This is the third French...
Sodexo: EWC and management sign an agreement on older workers
On March 04 2015, the French food services company together with its EWC signed an agreement on ‘older workers’. It now goes on to form an integral part of Sodexo’s diversity and inclusion policy...
Spain: The CCOO union launches a web portal to help young Spanish emigrants find work in the hotels sector both in Spain and abroad
The EmigraJoven project aims to inform and advise young Spanish emigrants on how to get more training as well as on how to find work. The Services Federation of the CCOO is piloting this endeavor...
Italy: thousands take to the streets in defense of their ‘statuto’ – Workers Charter
Yesterday on the 45th anniversary of Italy’s Workers Charter (statuto dei Lavoratori) the CGIL majority union mobilized thousands of workers to protest threats facing this ‘pillar’ of Italy’s...
Argentina: workers in metals and retail win 27% pay rises
On May 19 and after four tense weeks, the annual negotiations in the four key sectors held by the Economics Ministry finally concluded in agreement. Pay rises for workers in the metals, retail...
Great Britain: the Scottish Government announces two industrial relations measures
The Scottish Government has taken two steps which begin to open up a divergent path from that of how industrial relations are conducted elsewhere in Britain (especially in England). The first...
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
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
2
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
3
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
4
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
5
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
6
EU: banking sector social partners commit to combating violence and harassment
On 15 January, the trade union federation UNI Europa Finance and three employers’ associations in the banking sector signed a joint statement on preventing violence and harassment in the...