Portugal: social concern after asking the IMF and the European Stabilization Fund for help
Warning.  The CGTP warned against the consequences of outside intervention to support the Portuguese economy.  After an extraordinary meeting of the union confederation’s economic council, the...
Germany: German employers paid EUR 28 in social contributions for EUR 100 of gross salary in 2010
Labor cost slightly lower than in France.  The survey published by the German Federal Statistics Agency (Destatis) on April 11th is probably going to revive the debate between economists, at least...
Sweden: after consulting its members, Unionen announces priorities for coming negotiations
Expected results.  The survey was organized as a lighter version of the survey carried out before the 2010-2011 negotiations. At the time, the members were invited to answer two questions: how do...
Portugal: interview of Manuel Bravo, secretary for collective bargaining at the CGTP’s metalworkers’ federation, Fiequimetal
Manuel Bravo.  Indeed, the government recently resigned because of the austerity measures presented to the Portuguese population.  This austerity program was first discussed with Angela Merkel and...
Austria: Telekom Austria takes up internal and external interim
Last week, the President of Telekom Austria AG (TA AG), Walter Holtz, presented the new initiative of the former public monopoly, privatized in 1996 and listed on the stock market since 2000. ...
12 April 2011
Spain: interview of Felipe Lopez, general secretary of the CCOO’s manufacturing federation
Felipe Lopez.  The manufacturing union federation of the CCOO is the key manufacturing federation in Spain.  It covers the iron and steel industrial, shipbuilding, defense, aerospace, information...
Italy: banking unions present unitary platform for the renewal of the sector’s collective agreement
On April 7th, banking unions (Dircredito, Fabi, Fiba-Cisl, Fisac-CGIL, Sinfub, Ugl and Uilca) launched the unitary platform for the renewal of the sector’s CCN.  They say they want to continue...
Romania: government ready to engage liability on the reform of collective labor relations
Liability.  The Boc administration has chosen the same scenario: as it did for the Labor Code, it intends to engage its responsibility for the draft Social Code supposed to regulate the...
11 April 2011
Spain: Correos signs collective agreement
On April 5th, unions and management signed the new agreement regulating, until 2013, the working conditions of over 60,000 employees in the postal company.  The agreement includes the 3rd...
Areva: interview of Philippe Vivien, Group HR manager, about the European agreement on forecasting and anticipating employment and competences
Philippe Vivien.  No, it doesn’t.  It is our second negotiation around a theme that is complicated and polymorphous.  Our first negotiation was on professional equality and it is true that this...
Great Britain: new social conflict in engineering construction industry
At the beginning of March, a one-day strike took place at the BP Hull site on Humberside where a multi-million pound bio-ethanol fuel plant is being constructed. After lengthy discussions with...
France: interview of Philippe Martinez, general secretary of the French metalworkers’ union federation, FTM-CGT
Philippe Martinez.  The current economic and social crisis got us thinking about the need to quicken concrete collaboration on a certain number of determined issues, including manufacturing issues...
Italy: broken negotiations on the national insurance collective agreement cause several mobilizations
“Strong and clear” employee support to unions’ platform: this is how Giuseppe Gallo, Fiba Cisl general secretary, qualified the national strike of March 28th with a 90% turnout.  The strike...
Italy: interview of Maurizio Landini, Fiom-CGIL general secretary
Maurizio Landini.  The crisis we are going through is more severe than in other parts of Europe.  Youth unemployment amounts to nearly 30% and precariousness has reached unprecedented peaks in...
Germany: new improvements of the apprenticeship market “thanks” to the decline in birth rate
Better professional prospects for young people.  As an introduction, Mrs. Schavan reminded that there was a close relation between businesses’ economic health and the situation on the...
Romania: tense negotiations on the reform of collective industrial relations
”Pretence of dialogue” according to unions.  After a fierce first round on the reform of the Labor Code, it seems the fight is starting up stronger than ever between unions and the Romanian...
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: Bayer puts female health and inclusive parenthood at the centre of its equality policy
In a new agreement on gender equality highlighted by mind RH, Bayer commits to strengthening its parenthood policy. Furthermore, the company is anticipating pay transparency and introducing...
25 September 2026
2
Germany: Volkswagen cancels almost all collective bargaining agreements signed with IG Metall
The Volkswagen brand announced on 30 September that it is terminating 10 of its 13 internal collective bargaining agreements, effective 31 December 2026. The announcement, which the carmaker...
1 October 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
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...
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Germany: major day of union action in the automotive industry ahead of collective bargaining
A few weeks before the start of collective bargaining in the German metalworking sector, the IG Metall trade union mobilised nearly 175,000 workers across more than 200 industrial sites on 21...
22 September 2026