Great Britain: statutory union recognition is about to blow its tenth candle
Despite the arrival of a new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, it seems certain there is no immediate threat to the continued existence of a key plank of the previous Labour government’s...
Italy: key independent unions “connected” within the USB, the Association of Basic Unions
“Unite your struggles.” It is under this slogan that Rete di Base (RdB), Sindacato dei Lavoratori (SdL) and several units of the Confederazione Unitaria di Base (Cub) created the new Association...
Sweden: the Teknikföretagen employers’ organization terminates the collective agreement in the industry, by which it won’t be covered after October 31, 2010
A collective agreement failing its initial mission. This framework collective agreement, also known as “cooperation agreement on the development of the industry and on wages” was signed in March...
International: International Metalworkers’ Federation works on new union strategy
In December 2009, the IMF’s executive committee decided to improve its strategy regarding multinationals. In particular, the federation observed that its union grid was incomplete and said that it...
Germany: German employers choose minimum wage over “Polish plumbers”
Fear of the Polish plumber is back. In addition to the major concerns about the impact of the “Greek crisis” on the Euro, the national economic and employment, the German social partners and...
Netherlands: 1% wage increase for all agency workers
An agreement was reached on May 19th between the ABU, which accounts for 370 members and 60% of the temporary labor market in the Netherlands, the Federation of Christian Unions (CNV...
Netherlands: positive agreement at Sara Lee to sweeten a social plan
A 1% wage increase, a €75 annual bonus, the possibility to take five unpaid days off, a permanent contract after 3 or 6 months of interim “if there are jobs to fulfill….” The agreement in...
Germany: Ver.di launches new offensive to impose “new” minimum pay in the postal sector
Wage dumping. On January 1, 2008, the federal government imposed, in a decree, that all postal business apply minimum wage, ranging between €8 and €9.8 an hour, negotiated between Ver.di and an...
Italy: 7th national congress of the Slai Cobas independent union ends with the conclusion that it is necessary to build a “strong class union”
Analysis of the crisis. According to the union, the right-wing, the opposition and confederal unions follow joint “strategic lines” aiming, in the end, to maintain the current economic and...
France: agreement in metalworking to improve the forecast management of employment and skills in the sector
This agreement is in line with the cross-industry agreement signed in 2008 on that theme. In the preamble, the social partners specify that it doesn’t have to do with the need to reorganize the...
Argentina: metalworkers get a 26.5% wage increase
The collective agreement in the metal sector in Argentina provides for a first 15% wage increase applied retroactively on April 1, 2010, a second 11.5% increase on July 1st and until March 31...
Netherlands: employers accuse unions of giving into “extremism”
The two most powerful unions in the Netherlands, affiliated with the FNV, are worrying employers. The offensive tactic adopted by the FNV and Allies (active in industry) for five years, and by the...
Germany: reelected at the head of the DGB, Michael Sommer calls for a “new social order”
For statutory hourly minimum wage amounting to €8.5. In 2006, during the last congress of the DGB, at the time divided between those in favor of a pragmatic attitude and those in favor of a...
Greece: overview of the social consequences of the crisis
Because of this bankruptcy, the new Greek government had to implement a drastic severity policy, with a neoliberal background, with the support of the European Union, the European Central Bank and...
Morocco: interview with Mohamed Horani, head of the General Confederation of Enterprises in Morocco (CGEM)
the General Confederation of Enterprises in Morocco (CGEM) for one year. At 57, this engineer co-founded and is the CEO of the electronic banking company, Hightech Payment Systems (HPS), where 90%...
Portugal: government announces new severity measures to put public accounts back on their feet by 2013
On a diet. Portugal’s Prime Minister, José Socrates, announced an additional series of severity measures to speed up the return to balanced State accounts in 2013. The Stability and Growth Program...
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