Smithfield: towards a European works council after the takeover of Sara Lee Food Europe
Further to the approval given by the European Commission, July 28th, 2006, on the plan of buyout of Sara Lee Foods Europe (SLFE) by the common firm created by Smithfield Foods and an investment...
Latvia: minimum wage will increase significantly
The minimum wage should amount to 50% of the average gross salary by 2010, compared to 38 % today. The government's aim is to boost economic growth and development, and to limit the emigration...
Poland: employers and labour unions reluctant to apply new law on works councils
In Poland, the law of April 7th, 2006 on workers' information and consultation (also called new law on works councils, see our article n°06556) has a lot of trouble to impose itself. Before...
Allianz: agreement signed on employee representation at Allianz EC
In the future, employees will be represented at the European level within two authorities:  
Arkema: negotiations on the creation of a European work’s council
After an agreement, in May, 2006, on a group work's council and a group union coordination, management of the chemical group Arkema set up a special group of negotiation to create a European works...
Nestlé : part of the chocolate production due to move to other European countries
Nestlé, the world's largest food and drink company, announced, last September 20th, the shedding of 645 jobs in the York plant. Chocolates will now be produced in Germany, Spain and the Czech...
Germany : a wage agreement found for 85,000 iron and steel workers
IG Metall and the Employers' Federation (Stahl) reached agreement in the night of September 20-21 on a wage increase of 3.8% and a 1250 euros bonus for 85,000 employees. An innovation is the...
Netherlands : unions demand a 2.5 % increase in 2007
The Dutch unions federation (FNV) issued on September 19 a claim for a 2.5% wage increase in 2007 coinciding with the presentation of the 2007 budget by Gerrit Zalm, Finance minister, who is...
Great Britain : employers denounce tightening of social legislation
Tony Blair's succession has sparked a battle for influence between employers unions. The CBI, the principal employers' association, is worried about the consequences of the contest over the future...
Baltic region : number one for wage increases
Recent studies stress that the average costs of labour hours in Latvia in the second quarter of 2006, in comparison to the second quarter of 2005, have increased by 22.7%. This is the sharpest...
Siemens: strong increase in managers’ wages outrages Germany
Just ahead of painful restructurings, the Supervisory board of Siemens announced a 30 % wage increase for the 12 members of its management. Staff and public opinion are outraged. IG Metall is...
Germany: labour unions and conservatives are divided on the introduction of a legal minimum wage
The « union Council » of the social democrat party (SPD) and the Confederation of German labour unions (DGB), came to an agreement, on Monday evening in Frankfurt, on the introduction of a legal...
Poland: Minister of Employment wants to increase minimum wage and raise average retirement age
During a press conference, the new Minister of Employment, Anna Kalata, announced her priorities in terms of wages and social policy. (Ref. 06913)
Finland: the Ministry of Labour launches a new information site on Finnish social legislation
This multilingual site provides information for employers hiring foreign workers on employment regulations, important administrative steps, as well as for immigrant workers coming to work in...
Great Britain: according to the TUC, 5.3 million workers are vulnerable
One in five employees is "vulnerable and likely to be exploited" says a report presented by the TUC at its annual conference, written by the independent office Policy Studies Institute, and based...
Fortis: preventive restructuring plan under negotiation in the Netherlands
Negotiations have begun over the next restructuring plan of the financial group Fortis, based in Belgium and in the Netherlands. Management agreed, in the Netherlands, to make one single plan for...
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: CDC Habitat defines a framework and means for social dialogue on AI
In an agreement signed on 23 February with trade unions, the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et consignations) Habitat (10,800 employees) guarantees that AI solutions will only...
2
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
3
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
4
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
5
Germany: controversial collective bargaining compliance act adopted
On 26 February, the Bundestag approved the Tariftreuegesetz (collective bargaining compliance act), aimed at strengthening collective agreements and tackling social dumping by tying certain public...
26 February 2026
6
United Kingdom: launch of consultation on protection against detriment for industrial action
The British government launched a public consultation on 26 February regarding new protections for workers against "detriment" related to industrial action, scheduled to take effect in October...
12 March 2026