News update as of September 9, 2016
On the menu, a strong rise in the number of zero hours contracts in Great Britain, agreements over wages at Renault Samsung and GM in South Korea, in Hungary McDonalds is providing free housing to...
8 September 2016
Sweden: trade union body Unionen developing closer ties with its German counterpart IG Metall to better manage digital platform working
In June 2016, Unionen, Sweden’s private sector union, concluded a ‘strategic’ cooperation agreement with its corresponding German body, IG Metall (metals and electronics), so that Unionen can...
8 September 2016
News update as of September 6, 2016
On the menu, Continental is set to develop flexible working in its subsidiaries worldwide, another chapter unfolds in the VW | UAW dispute over unionizing a plant in the southeastern US city of...
6 September 2016
Great Britain : ‘Gig’ economy workers start challenging their employment conditions
The first strong signs of workers contesting their employment conditions with companies operating as part of the ‘gig’ economy have taken place this summer. They have been spearheaded by a small...
5 September 2016
Italy: social partners submit proposals to government for managing corporate restructuring
The decision by Confindustria, the Italian employers’ federation, and the CGIL, CISL and UIL, the three large trade union bodies, to resume social dialogue has started to bear fruit. On 1...
5 September 2016
Great Britain: a boost for the auto industry
Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is to invest £35 million (€41.4 million) in a bid to boost the auto industry. As a result of this investment almost 3,000 new skilled jobs are expected for...
2 September 2016
31 August 2016 news review
On the menu, around fifty US businesses have signed up to a White House initiative promoting equal pay - an NLRB decision requires the US fast food chain, Chipotle, to review its policy over staff...
29 August 2016
Great Britain: a trade union is challenging Lloyds Blank over the female pensions gap
British banking group Lloyds has to face a legal challenge at the employment tribunal over pensions that are said to discriminate against female staff in terms of the supplementary pension system...
29 August 2016
Great Britain: numbers partaking in strike action reach all-time low in 2015
The year 2014 was marked by strong levels of social mobilisation in Britain, with 733,300 individuals involved in strike action (see article n° 8506). However, in 2015 this number reached just...
29 August 2016
Argentina: confederation of labour (CGT) united under one banner
After eight years of separation, the three main union bodies which make up the Argentinian CGT (General Confederation of Labour) officially announced their reunification on 22 August. The...
29 August 2016
Planet Labor news reports suspended during the month of August
Dear readers, during the holiday period in Europe we will be suspending our news information service. Between Friday evening on 29 July until Monday morning on 29 August we will not be posting any...
Great Britain: changes to executive salaries in the offing?
The pressure on bosses at UK companies was turned up a notch yesterday, after the publication of a report recommending that firms make the salary gap between chief executives and other employees...
Spain: hotel cleaning ladies organize themselves and establish the ‘Las Kellys’ association
Since the start of what is being hailed as one of Spain’s best tourist summers ever, female hotel cleaning room staff have criticized deteriorating working conditions, including excessively long...
Hungary: tough summer expected for the auto sector
VASAS, the metals union federation, has announced an initial wave of strike action to take place during the summer months in six businesses within the auto sector, the names of which have not been...
Czech Republic: the law that closes shops on public holidays is adopted
The long debate over shops opening during public holidays appears to have concluded with a Parliament decision being passed at the end of June that prohibits shop opening during seven national...
Spain: Basque Region social partners sign an agreement giving regional collective agreements priority over national agreements
On 22 July, the employers’ body Confebask, together with the CCOO and the UGT unions ratified an agreement giving prevalence to collective agreements negotiated in the Basque region of Euskadi...
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