Labour relations

Watami, Japan’s major restaurant and pub chain is looking to rebuild its image damaged by cases of poor working conditions as well as several of work related deaths (karoshi). Going forward, the...

19 October 2016

Germany: rail union EVG wants to negotiate a collective agreement giving employees the freedom to choose between pay and additional time off

In Frankfurt on 17 October, a week after the GDL train drivers’ union started their negotiations with Germany’s rail company Deutsche Bahn (DB) to renew their collective agreement, it was the turn...

18 October 2016

Spain: unions gain ground in the courts over their battle against multiservice companies

The Social Chamber of Spain’s National Court annulled 43 agreements that had been signed by multiservice companies on the grounds that they had not be properly negotiated with an appropriate...

17 October 2016

Norway: oil sector agreement unable to assuage rivalry between unions

Following three weeks of strikes, an agreement has been reached in the oil services industry. The parties to the deal are Industri Energi, the Norwegian union for employees in the energy sector...

17 October 2016

United States: Teamsters accept 25% salary cut for new Sikorsky recruits in order to keep the helicopter manufacturer in Connecticut

Members of the Teamsters union have just accepted a new salary agreement with the helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky. The deal, approved with a majority of 2104 in favour and 140 against, will be...

17 October 2016

Germany: 2016 working time report published

Germany’s federal agency, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published its ‘2016 report on working time’, which studied working time across the country including flexible...

11 October 2016

Germany: new trends occurring in German company agreements

The union foundation holds the largest company agreements archives. Its WSI policy research institute carries out an annual study of German works councils (> 4,500 WCs are questioned). Using...

10 October 2016

Italy: the welfare enterprise is gaining ground

Company collective agreements are increasingly including measures that cater for employees' welfare, in large part thanks to tax breaks put in place in 2016.

10 October 2016

IndustriALL Global Union 2nd Congress: the international industry union federation looks to act as a counterweight to global capitalism

Fighting Forward – A Luta Continua! During their addresses, delegates from the young international industry union federation’s second congress held in Rio de Janeiro (04 – 07 October)...

10 October 2016

Spain: unions are calling for a share of economic growth in the form of a 4% wage rise for 2017

Employers’ bodies and trade unions are preparing for the forthcoming rounds of negotiations that will determine the wage rise recommendations to be used during the 2017 sector and company...

7 October 2016

News update as of October 6, 2016

On the menu: a new leadership team for IndustriALL Global Union, Italy’s metals sector now in line to renew its national collective agreement, in France the draft law on multinational companies’...

5 October 2016

China: towards structural changes in collective dispute management?

When in Spring 2015, the Chinese government issued a directive demanding party cadres and bureaucrats across the country to “make the construction of harmonious labor relations an urgent...

5 October 2016

Finland: social partners are skeptical over both the government’s universal basic income plan and the pilot scheme set for the start of 2017

In 2015, Finland’s government announced it was looking to put a universal basic income in place that would be paid by the country’s social security body, Kela, to all non-retired adults and that...

4 October 2016

Tchibo: signs a global framework agreement over international labor standards throughout the textile supply chain

On 27 September together with the international union federation IndustriALL Global Union, the German family owned retailer, Tchibo signed a global framework agreement aimed at developing...

4 October 2016

Caterpillar: unions agree on a joint European strategy

On 26 September, the European union federation IndustriALL Europe held a trade union coordination meeting, the upshot of which was to set out a European strategy in response to Caterpillar’s...

4 October 2016

Great Britain : London-specific work permit to counter Brexit effect

London is hoping that the creation of a specific work permit for the city will help avoid the flight of businesses in the aftermath of the UK’s departure from the European Union. Furthermore, the...

3 October 2016

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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...

5 March 2026

France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules

Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.

29 January 2026

France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval

The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...

8 December 2025

mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators

In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...

31 October 2025

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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

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

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

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...

8 October 2026

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

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