Austria: average 3.65 percent increase in computer services
rtners in the Austrian computing industry agreed on an average 3.65 percent wage increase for the sector’s 40,000 employees on January 1, 2012. The lowest wages will get a 4.1 percent...
Italy: unitary transport strike blocks Italy once again
After a successful strike last spring (see our dispatch No.  110225), Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugltrasporti, Orsa, Faisa-Cisal and Fast did it again on December 15-16.  They claim the...
Morocco: call centers are unionizing
Union membership is gaining ground.  Lately, Total Call, a call center working for French contractors, has experienced its first strike.  The first social conflict of a call center working with...
EU: European Commission uploads database on transnational company agreements
This database contains all transnational agreements and texts identified and catalogued by the project’s partners (Aritake Wild, Wilke Maack Partners and Planet Labor, which led the project). ...
United States: uncertainty over the imminent NLRB freeze
Two weeks after the charges against Boeing, angering the Republicans (see our dispatches No.  110743 and 110655), Barack Obama appointed two members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). ...
Greece: pay cuts in banking
In a letter to the Piraeus Bank staff, Director General Stravros Lekkakos presented his proposal.  The proportional pay cuts will be as follows:
15 December 2011
Randstad: adjusting the anticipation agreement establishing a EWC to the recast directive
Adaptation.  Signed in 1996, the agreement creating a European social dialogue structure was revised in 2009, during the transposition of the new EWC directive.  Since it is an anticipation...
Netherlands: limiting union power in the offing
The restructuring, planned for the summer 2012, of the country’s key trade union, the Federation of Netherlands Unions and Allies (FNV), is opening the possibility of limiting unions’ power. ...
15 December 2011
Italy: Fiat signs separate agreement for its new national collective agreement
The agreement signed yesterday is “a historical turn for our company and its workers” rejoiced Sergio Marchionne, Managing Director of Fiat S.p.A. and CEO of Fiat Industrial.  Valid for one year...
Romania: minimum wage up to RON 700 in 2012
Planned increase.  While the measure has yet to be ratified, the announcement is official.  Sulfina Barbu, Romanian Minister of Labor, confirmed that minimum wage would go from RON 670 currently...
Sodexo: new international framework agreement on fundamental rights at work
In this agreement, “Sodexo commits to see to it that all its employees can access the following fundamental rights, while conforming to the local legislation:
Germany: IG-Metall and Verdi union compete in industrial service provider companies
Outsourcing boom.  According to the IG-Metall, more and more businesses outsource a substantial part of their operations to cut costs, and not only non-strategic operations (catering, cleaning…). ...
Italy: first unitary strike for the Monti administration
After years of union division, the unitary strike against the government’s austerity program (see our dispatch No.  110750) called for by the CGIL, Cisl and Uil yesterday, December 12, was “fully...
Great Britain: Unite offers membership of 50p per week to appeal to activists involved in social movements
The move is also an attempt to provide an instance of the union movement having its own version of the ‘big society’, the idea promoted by Prime Minister, David Cameron, whereby many of the...
Sweden: unions are facing competition from private firms
How to offer union-like services without being a union.  Currently, there are two reasons why workers should join a union: their collective rights are defended and they get a multitude of other...
Groupama: amendment adjusting the EWC agreement to the new European Directive
Information/consultation.  Thus, employee representatives are assured “information and consultation at appropriate level and in a timely manner.”  Information is defined as “the transmission of...
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
Germany: standoff over national plan to boost collective bargaining
Under the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, Germany is required to produce an action plan to boost collective bargaining coverage. That plan has stalled, however, after being blocked by the...
9 February 2026
5
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...
6
ENI incorporates just transition and AI into global agreement
On 13 January, Italian energy group ENI renewed its global agreement on international industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and the just transition with Italian unions CGIL, CISL...
5 February 2026