Austria: ruined by a banking scandal, the Confederation of Austrian labour unions is struggling to survive
On Monday, September 4th, 2006, the ÖGB will launch a major reform of its structures. Ruined by the scandal of Bawag, the bank of labour unions, the ÖGB has 2,1 billion euros of debts. This...
Luxembourg: publication of the first labor code
After several years of preparation, the law creating the Luxembourg labor code is now published. This Code organizes labor law by specifying the rules of law and order applicable to all the...
European Metalworkers’ Federation meets with EU Commission to discuss Azambuja closure
European Metalworkers' Federation asks European Commission to intervene in the Azambuja case, reminds that Brussels granted 50 million euros in subsidies to GM. Peter Sherrer, General Secretary of...
Latvia: government decides to maintain employer contribution that finance wage guarantee institution
Latvian government has decided to maintain the amount currently paid by the employers to the wage guarantee institution which protects employees against their company insolvency. (Réf. 06836)
Lithuania : the most popular ways to motivate employees
The most common means for motivating employees are free courses, training and paying the phone bills, but those are only effective when employees receive a substantial salary. (Ref. 06832)
Spain : the CCOO battle on the issue of risks prevention at work
The main Spanish trade union Confederation launched a public awareness campaign inviting workers to seriously consider the psychosocial risks threatening them. With this campaign, the trade...
Slovakia : unions ask government to amend labour law
Answering to the social priorities setted by the new government (see our article n°06811), the Slovak Confederation of Trade Unions demands maximum working hours for employees and limitation of...
Greece: the government wishes to be more involved in the social dialogue
The Greek government started a series of meetings with trade unions and employers. It expressed its wish to pay more attention to social partners and to foster social dialogue. (Ref. 06827)
Daimler Chrysler reduces the duration of its Board Members’ mandates
“This change only refers to renewal of positions. The maximum duration of the mandate was already limited to three years within the framework of a first appointment to the board” said a spokesman...
28 August 2006
Agfa Gevaert announces 1560 job cuts in Europe
The group installed, in Antwerp, announced a vast restructuring in order to safeguard the company's competitiveness. Belgium is the country the most concerned by this process. (Ref. 06824)
Germany: Faced with an uncertain return to work, the employees of the Deutsche Bahn AG (railways) and of Volkswagen, clutch at ways to secure their jobs
Deutsche Bahn – What future for the workers following privatisation? – Though clearly better off than their automobile colleagues, the 230,000 ‘rail workers’ are, nevertheless, worried about their...
Great Britain: The TUC recommends those over 50 stay in work in order to defuse the pension time-bomb
The TUC condemns the fact that more than a million Britons aged between 50 and 65 are out of work against their wishes because employers will not keep them on. The Congress calls for the...
Germany : the adoption of the minimum wage in the industrial cleaning sector (850.000 employees) reignites the debate over a legal minimum for all employees
Last August 23, the German cabinet decided to extend to the industrial cleaning sector (Entsedegesetz) the law on questions linked to the posted workers within services provision. As is already...
France: reform of the Department of Employment
New role supporting the implementation of rights at work.  From now on the General Management of Work (DGT), which replaced ‘work relationship management’, “prepares, encourages and co-ordinates...
Lithuania: employees asked to say « no to envelopes»
The Lithuanian institutions of inspection launched several actions in order to fight against the practice of the "envelopes", i.e. dissimulation of part of the wages. The first devices set up at...
Finland: employers frequently violate basic rights of foreign employees
The Finnish newspaper Heslingin Sanomat gave a balance the investigations carried out by the inspectors in charge of monitoring the working conditions of immigrant workers. The results show a...
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
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
3
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
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