Bulgaria: workers from Kremikovci’s metallurgy factory still on strike
The 3.000 workers of the biggest metallurgy industry in Bulgaria - national pride from the communist era - have been on strike for two weeks. They are asking for better working conditions and...
Portugal: social partners’ reaction to the White Paper on labour relations
The White Paper on labour relations (see our article No. 080025) which announces an important reform of the labour code - already deeply reviewed in 2003 - was presented on December 27, 2007 to...
Italy: renewal of the economic part of the national collective agreement for chemistry’s SMEs
On January 28, Union chimica-Confapi for employers and the Filcem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uilcem-Uil unions signed the renewal of the economic part of the national collective agreement of small and...
International: the IUF published a guide to help unions negotiate with investment funds when their company is bought off
The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association (IUF) published a guide to help its members negotiate with the investment funds...
Gaz de France: the EWC supports the revision of the 1994 directive
As many other European works councils (see our article No. 080017), Gaz de France's sent a letter, at the end of January, to the European Commissioner in charge of Employment, Social Affairs and...
Spain: commentary of the law on information and consultation and wages guarantee in the event of transnational insolvency
Two years after the end of their transposition and after two infringement procedures (case CJEC C-317/06 and C-6/07), the Law 38/2007 completes the transposition into Spanish law of the European...
Michelin: amendment clause to the EWC agreement
The French tyre manufacturer Michelin signed an amendment to the agreement establishing the European works council, after its employed members required better information on events concerning the...
BASF SE : agreement on the involvement of employees in BASF SE
The transformation of chemistry's No. 1 into a European Company took about 9 months, from the permission given by shareholders on April 26, 2007 to the registration in the trade register on...
Credit Agricole: agreement for the establishment of a European works council
Credit Agricole's management and the special negotiating body - established by an agreement in June 2007 to negotiate the establishment of a European works council (see our article No. 070797) -...
Denmark: concerns about the future of the Scandinavian social model after the CJEC’s decision on union action against social dumping
The decision rendered by the Court of Justice of the European Communities in the Laval un Partneri case (see our articles No. 071034 and 071042), which ruled on the Swedish building trade union...
Germany: Angela Merkel softens opposition to minimum wage
After tough regional elections for the conservative party, the German chancellor must also face rumbling discontent among unions and German people, disappointed in the stagnation of both wages and...
Netherlands: liberalization of the postal market leads to social arm wrestling
Dutch unions are still trying to get the same guaranties as German unions on hourly minimum wage for the postal sector's employees before its liberalization in six months. Negotiations on working...
Germany: the Deutsche Bahn and the GDL end a 10-month conflict
After a final agreement for a new collective agreement, on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, the train drivers' union GDL and the Deutsche Bahn officially buried the longest conflict in Germany's rail...
Italy: towards a single collective agreement for the service and transport sector
The agreement signed between the two social partners completes the negotiation started following an agreement signed with the Ministry of Labour on November 21, 2007 and that envisages the...
Nokia: EMF to investigate on the management’s respect of the procedure of information and consultation of workers
During a social coordination meeting, on January 30, 2008, the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) and its affiliated unions decided on "a coordinated response to management's announced...
Italy: social partners renewed the national collective agreement of SMEs in the metallurgy
On January 25, the Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil, Uilm-Uil unions and the employers' association Unionmeccanica-Confapi signed the agreement for the renewal of the national collective agreeement of small...
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...