France: Korian and Monoprix harness government-backed retraining scheme
Following in the footsteps of cleaning firm Derichebourg, Monoprix (part of the Casino group) has signed a partnership with Korian and joined its 'Passerelles' crossover programme. The agreement...
Germany: Volkswagen in the east of Germany along with its automotive subcontractors finally set to lower weekly working hours from 38 to 35, matching those in the west
Following extensive lengthy talks with the IG Metall trade union, car manufacturer Volkswagen, Germany’s second largest automotive subcontractor ZF, and Faurecia subsidiary SAS-Automotive...
Germany: Porsche signs an agreement providing for 12 mobility days per month and 40% fewer in-office spaces
On 16 May, the social partners at Germany’s high-end car manufacturer Porsche announced they had signed a company agreement on ‘mobile work’. Among other things, this agreement provides for the...
France: social partners favour ‘hybrid’ mode of collective bargaining (study)
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and successive lockdowns, social partners have been forced for the first time to conduct negotiations remotely. They have moved swiftly to adapt to digital tools and...
Belgium: special ‘corona’ bonus for employees (subject to conditions)
On Thursday 6 May, the Belgian government put forward the idea of granting an exceptional bonus to employees in companies that have recorded good results during the health crisis. The government...
Great Britain: UK plans to support hybrid work after the pandemic is over
The UK government has asked The Flexible Working Task Force to publish a new guide for employers that promotes partial post-pandemic teleworking. The report has been commissioned for publication...
Renault signs global agreement to promote telework
French automobile group Renault penned on 26 April, at the initiative of its management, the sector’s first global agreement on remote work, struck with industrial workers' federation Industriall...
Italy: agreement at Intesa Sanpaolo for the integration of UBI Banca staff following the takeover
On 14 April 2021, management of the leading Italian banking group together with the FABI, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions signed an agreement that will see the working...
20 April 2021
France: trade unions at PSA, with the exception of the CGT, sign remote work clause
On 9 April 2021, the leadership of French car manufacturer PSA and the unions present at the group – the CFE-CGC, FO and CFDT – signed a supplementary clause on remote work, dubbed “New Era of...
16 April 2021
United States: the beginnings of trade unionism in the new economy
Trade unionism is starting to build a foothold in the new economy, a trend that has impacted two subsidiaries of Spotify as well as tech workers at the New York Times, with efforts focused on...
16 April 2021
Germany: agreement at Volkswagen on a salary increase and an ‘options-based model’ for working time
During the night of 12/13 April and approximately two weeks after the metal industry’s pilot collective agreement was adopted (c.f. article No.12446), management at German car manufacturer...
14 April 2021
United States: Amazon fortress holds in face of unionisation effort
After the failed unionisation campaign at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, activists plan to turn their attentions to the US Congress as well as to other sites of the US online retail giant.
12 April 2021
Italy: ENI oil group secures agreement on up-skilling and generational renewal
Signed on 01 April by ENI and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uilca trade unions under the auspices of Italy’s Ministry of Labour, the agreement will enable 900 employees to take voluntary early...
EU: a broad switch to telework is presenting trade unions with both challenges and opportunities to reconnect with their grassroots
‘Telework is here to stay and unions need to learn how to organise workers online and address their concerns.’ With this in mind, IndustriAll Europe, the European industry trade union federation...
Great Britain: Unite launches a confidential hotline for Amazon whistleblowers
As of 29 March, Amazon UK’s 40,000 employees who claim to have witnessed or been victims of bad practices can contact Unite directly by way of a dedicated hotline number and email. With...
Germany: pilot agreement struck the metallurgy industry in North Rhine-Westphalia
As expected, at daybreak on Tuesday 30 March, and following months of tense negotiations that have been marked by several warning strikes, the social partners in the metallurgy industry concluded...
30 March 2021
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: collective agreement for rubber and plastics sector focuses on new skills
A month ahead of schedule, the Federazione Gomma Plastica employers' organisation and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions have renewed the collective agreement for the rubber and...
5 January 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
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