Germany: the record increase of sickness insurance raises controversy
During a new summit meeting after several months of break, the parties of the Grand Coalition agreed, on October 5, 2008, on a major increase of sickness insurance which will amount, from January...
Italy: the Democratic Party trying to reunite unions after the break on the reform of the conventional system
Walter Veltroni, leader of the democratic party, met, last night, with the three trade unions, CGIL, Cisl and Uil, after meeting with the employers' association Confindustria on October 2. The...
Spain: renewal of the collective agreement of the insurance sector
Employers and trade unions in the mutual and insurance sector signed, on October 1, a new collective agreement which will be in force until 2011. Signed by the Unespa, the Amat and the Asecore for...
Belgium: Belgian employers say the right to strike is not an absolute right
During the national day of action launched by the three Belgian trade union confederations CSC, FGTB and CGSLB, employers deplored this initiative which paralyzes public transportation and...
Portugal : the new labor code will be approved at the latest on November 7, 2008
The bill was adopted on its first reading thanks to the vote of the socialist MPs in majority. The two right-wing parties abstained, while the communists and the far left voted against. Two steps...
Italy : union representation and work at the center of the UIL 7th conference
Created in 1950, the UIL is the third Italian union organization with over two million members and two levels of representation: 1° horizontally through its regional unions, 107 provincial...
Valeo: the EWC organized transnational collective action
The European works council of the French motor vehicle equipment manufacturer Valeo (almost 70.000 employees in Europe) decided, during a bureau meeting on September 11, to call all the European...
Great Britain: minimum wage increase on October 1
Hourly minimum wage for workers over 22 increased of 3.8% on October 1, 2008. It went from £5.52 (around €7) to £5.73 (around €7.30). Workers aged 18-21 will receive £4.77 (€6) instead of £4.60...
Netherlands: a bill to make companies responsible of the first six months of unemployment
The center-left governmental coalition wants to give companies the possibility to be responsible for the maintained payment of their dismissed employees for the first six months of unemployment...
Germany: Ver.di and the Postbank sign a “home agreement” while the trial of strength in the banking sector is escalating
On September 25, the Ver.di union and the management of the Postbank reached an agreement on a moderate wage increase and a strengthening of job security. This is not always the case in the rest...
GeoPost: agreement for the establishment of a European works council
The management of the GeoPost group (20.000 employees) which gathers the express parcel subsidiaries of the group La Poste present in 30 European countries (Chronopost International, DPD...)...
Great Britain/Poland: interunion cooperation agreement between the TUC, Solidarnosc and OPZZ
On September 25, 2008, in London, Brendan Barber, leader of the TUC, Janusz Sniadek, leader of Solidarnosc and Jan Guz, leader of the OPZZ, signed a cooperation agreement aimed at providing...
HP-EDS: European trade union federations denounce the restructuring plan announced in the framework of the merger
On the occasion of the extraordinary meeting of the EWCs of HP and of EDS, last September 25, 2008 in London, the European trade union federations EMF and Uni-Europa denounced job cuts announced...
Germany: former Siemens manager admits “buying” a union to block the IG Metall, the majority union
The trial of Wilhelm Schelsky, former head of the independent employee association AUB (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Unabhängiger Betriebsangehöriger) and of Johannes Feldmayer, former Siemens manager...
Italy: call center workers organize their first strike and national demonstration
The first national strike of call-center workers, organized by the SLC-CGIL, Fistel-Cisl, Uilcom unions and the basic unions (with the support of the organizations representing Alai Cisl, CPO Uil...
Ireland: social partners reach a draft agreement on national pay
After several months of controversy and ten days of almost uninterrupted bargaining, the government, the trade unions and the employers found an agreement, on September 17, on national pay. It is...
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