Spain: chemical industry social partners circulate their ‘recommendations for the protection of workers’ health in the face of Covid-19’
On 27 April, the employers’ organization, Feique, together with the Fica UGT and CCOO Industria trade unions presented a joint document (here) containing recommendations for protecting...
Hungary: agreements at Audi and Mercedes to mitigate the economic consequences of the production stoppage
On 23 April, a new agreement was concluded between the Audi manufacturer and the independent Audi Hungary trade union (AHFSZ) that seeks to mitigate the economic consequences of the Covid-19...
France: agreement at Valeo that relies on social dialogue to ensure the application of its safety protocol for the resumption of business activity
The agreement signed on April 16 between the French global automotive supplier and the CFE-CGC, FO and CFDT trade unions aims to ‘create the conditions necessary for the upcoming resumption of...
27 April 2020
United Kingdom: Trades Union Congress demands risk assessment at every company before return to work
With the UK set to be under lockdown until 7 May at the very least, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has begun to voice concern about the easing of the lockdown and is calling on the government to...
Italy: social partners revise protocol to combat coronavirus in the workplace
Ahead of “phase two”, which see lockdown in Italy gradually eased from 4 May and will primarily concern production activities, the trade unions Cgil, Cisl and Uil and the employer organisation...
27 April 2020
Portugal: Volkswagen plant resumes operations under certain conditions
Autoeuropa, the Volkswagen plant in Palmela near Lisbon, is to get back up and running on 27 April. Only two production shifts are planned so that the constraints of the Covid-19 protection plan...
27 April 2020
Germany: IG Metall publishes practical guide with measures to prevent spread of Covid-19 in the workplace
As major automobile manufacturers in Germany gear up to boost production, the country’s metalworkers’ union has published a practical and detailed 30-page guide on how to ensure protection at...
24 April 2020
International: companies and trade unions join forces to act in support of manufacturers in textile industry struggling due to Covid-19 crisis
Clothing brands and retailers including Adidas, C&A, H&M Group, International Apparel Federation, Inditex, M&S, Primark, PVH Corporation, Ralph Lauren, Tchibo, VF Corporation, Under...
24 April 2020
Belgium: social partners agree on recommendations for exiting lockdown conditions
On 22 April, the social partners that met as part of the Group of Ten (one of Belgium’s social consultation forums) agreed on the framework that will govern the relaunch of business in...
23 April 2020
United States: Amazon facing a civil society coalition movement
The opposition being mounted against Amazon, the online retail giant, has taken the name of the ancient Greek goddess Athena (wisdom & warfare). Comprising a very active and engaged coalition...
23 April 2020
Poland: the anti-crisis emergency law is overlooking temporary workers
According to Polskie Forum HR, the professional umbrella organization for temporary employment companies, more than 75,000 temporary workers risk losing their jobs. The emergency ‘Crisis...
Mexico: employers’ confederation calls on the State to cover part of salary outlays in a bid to avoid redundancies
Mexico’s employers confederation body, Coparmex, is seeking the establishment of a ‘solidarity salary’ for Mexican workers that are being hard hit by the Covid-19 related...
Denmark: financial sector agreement giving more flexibility to companies and employees to resume activity
On 17 April, the Financial Sector Employers’ Association (FA) and the Finansforbundet trade union reached an agreement that sets a framework for the gradual reopening of workplaces in the...
France: banking sector social partners issue a joint declaration on employee and customer safety
Not an agreement, and nor a protocol at branch level, but instead a joint declaration signed on 20 April by the French Banking Federation (FFB) and the main banking sector unions namely, the...
Italy: social partners in Brescia, one of the Covid-19 epicenters, sign an agreement to ensure industry worker safety
In Lombardy’s industrial heartland lies the city of Brescia, which along with its surroundings and Bergamo, became one of Italy’s hardest hit Covid-19 areas. Formulated under the auspices of the...
22 April 2020
Great Britain: coronavirus boom in trade union membership.
On 20 April, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, Unison (public sector), released a statement showing a record number of people seeking to take out membership. Since the start of 2020...
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: 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
5
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
6
UK: duty for employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union postponed to 1 January 2027
The news. On 25 September, the British government published its response to a consultation launched on 23 October on the duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union. The...