Italy: CGIL denounces new blow to health and safety at work regulations
According to the National Institution for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Inail), industrial accidents are decreasing.  In 2009, 790,000 were listed (as opposed to 875,144 in 2008), 1,050 of...
13 October 2010
Sweden: Sandvik allows workers and executives to arrange the end of their career after 61
Equalitarian agreement.  Flexible end of career at Sandvik was introduced in 2003, but for workers aged 62 only.  It took longer to set up the process for executives because the union’s young...
12 October 2010
Italy: the two poles of Italian unionism demonstrated in Turin and Rome on Saturday
“Over 100,000 demonstrators” (police say 50,000) were gathered by the Cisl and Uil on the Piazza del Popolo in Rome on Saturday, October 9th to ask the government for a table on the “fiscal...
Sweden: unions agree on the principle of restructuring Posten Norden but criticize the modalities
Necessary restructuring because of drop in mail volume.  Aside from the announcement of the appointment of a new chair, a restructuring program was presented on September 29th.  It should apply...
11 October 2010
United States: General Motors reinvests in Detroit
From south Korea to the US.  The management of General Motors decided to make its new compact car in the US, after securing new pay concessions from the United Auto Workers (UAW). “No American...
Portugal: general strike against austerity on November 24th
Almost unseen movement.  This is extremely rare in Portugal, it has only happened once, in 1988, against the labor laws of Cavaco Silva’s administration (current President of the Republic).  The...
Italy: CGIL presents social dampers reform
Simplifying the Italian unemployment insurance system, extending protection to workers who don’t have it, and make it all financially bearable.  This is the goal of the social dampers reform...
Sodexo: union coordination attacks the international group caterer
The union coordination has brought in more countries since the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched the initiative earlier this year (see our dispatch No. 100543) since it is now...
Great Britain: Universities Minister promises higher number of and status for apprentices
More apprentices, more recognition. Apprentices working in key sectors (notably the industry) will gain the title of “technician” after completion of their course. David Willetts this is a way of...
6 October 2010
Finland: unions try to be united for the cycle of fall collective bargaining
Wage increases for employees in new technologies and phone operators.  After long negotiations and a strike threat by the TU industrial workers’ union in September to the two key mobile phone and...
6 October 2010
Uruguay: general strike on October 7th to support union claims
Just like what happened two years ago, Uruguayan plenary workers’ interunion-national workers’ convention (Plenaria Intersidical de Trabajadores-Convención Nacional de Trabajadores, PIT-CNT) had...
Netherlands: new government wants to cut minimum wage
A coalition agreement between the liberal party (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was presented on September 30th and approved on October 5th by the Christian democrats’...
Italy: negotiations started for the “growth pact” promoted by the Confindustria employers’ organization
The “sense of responsibility” prevailed: “all the social partners took a step back from their individual interests to work on the country’s interests.”  This is how Emma Marcegaglia, leader of...
Great Britain: Confederation of British Industry presents concrete proposals to limit the right to strike
The rationale for the CBI’s proposals is three-fold. First, industrial action could jeopardise the fragile economic recovery. Second, only 15% of workers in the private sector are union members...
Estonia: trade unions publish their own manifesto as an answer to employers’ work program
Pensions, unemployment benefits and education.  Unions and employers did a sparring match through texts two weeks after the ETTK employers’ organization presented its work program (see our...
Germany: 2011/2012 collective bargaining schedule
2010 negotiations end with a controversy on equal pay.  Will the agreement signed in the steel industry – introducing equal pay between permanent  and temporary workers, as well as a 3.6% increase...
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...