United States: Boeing and SPEEA union back around the bargaining table
Boeing's management and the representatives of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) are back around the bargaining table after the crushing defeat of the first...
Sweden: Handels launches new union strategy for chain stores
Ineffective practice.  Traditionally, in chain stores, negotiations and union activities take place at local level, separately in each store, and not at central level like big groups (Ikea...
Netherlands: FNV calls for 2.5 percent wage increase
The largest union in the Netherlands is calling for a 2.5 percent wage increase in 2013. This is the same level as in 2012, in spite of the crisis and as the negotiations in 2012 only led to an...
Great Britain: Unite organizes conflict at the largest construction project in Europe
At the largest construction project in Europe, the Unite union is in dispute with the one of the main contractors. It has accused the contractor of victimisation of union members and suggested...
Portugal: CGTP wants to continue in the same vein after successful anti-austerity demonstration
The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP) organized a major demonstration on September 29 and received the support of civil society. Nearly 200,000 people chanted anti-austerity...
Canada: Chrysler reaches agreement with auto union
Representatives at Chrysler, the last carmaker still negotiating with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) finally reached an agreement with their interlocutors.  Chrysler’s 8,000 Canadian employees in...
France: Goodyear Amiens-Nord management withdraws voluntary leave transfer program
The management told the employee representatives it was withdrawing the program after a central works council meeting which lasted just a few minutes, because they refused the draft agreement...
28 September 2012
Germany: BMW signs company agreement to recruit 3,000 agency workers in return for flexible working time
3,000 hires and no more than 8 percent temporary workers.  The IG-Metall clearly sees the agreement signed on Wednesday in Munich between BMW and its central WC as a victory.  Even though the...
27 September 2012
Germany: new head of metal employers’ organization wants to commit to an even more flexible labor market
September 14 was the transfer of power between the former and the new President of the German association of metal industries.  “He knows the metal and electrical engineering industry, he knows...
OHL: Spanish construction firm signs international framework agreement on workers’ rights and union freedoms
An agreement negotiated by the Fecoma-CCOO and MCA-UGT unions.  The agreement was negotiated and signed at the request of the Fecoma-CCOO and MCA-UGT Spanish unions representing the BWI in Spain. ...
26 September 2012
Portugal: mobilization drives government to give up amending social contributions but taxes will rise
Single social tax.  The Single Social Tax (TSU) on workers’ income should have increased by 7 percentage points, from 11 up to 18 percent, on January 1, 2013.  At the same time, employers’ TSU...
25 September 2012
Italy: chemical/pharmaceutical social partners renew national collective agreement
All the organizations said they were satisfied with the agreement renewing the collective agreement in the chemical/pharmaceutical industry, signed in Rome on September 22, after only 5 days of...
Spain: beyond statutory requirements, businesses take innovative equal opportunity measures
Reminder.  Spain adopted this law (see our dispatch No. 070315) drawing upon two European directives (2002/173 and 2004/113) on equal opportunities. As a general rule, large companies (250...
24 September 2012
Norway: new agreement removes the threat of third strike in oil drilling
Hard to reach an agreement.  “We’re happy we’ve reached an agreement, which is a positive foundation for future collaboration” declared Håvard Hauan, OLF’s attorney.  The negotiations were tough...
Italy: unitary agreement at Golden Lady delays the application of the labor market reform provision imposing the transformation of atypical contracts into permanent ones
Reasons and consequences.  “We wanted to give our support to a well-ordered recruitment system with subservient contracts.  Indeed, transforming these contracts at once was not possible from an...
Siemens: after Siemens US violated the international CSR agreement in North East, Maryland, the social partners involved are talking about the new path to take
Breach of the CSR IFA.  How can you launch a campaign against the creation of an employee representation structure in a plant in August and sign a global framework agreement on corporate social...
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025
6
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...