Great Britain: union membership continues to fall in percentage and absolute terms
On 24 May the UK government published updated figures on trade union membership for the period 1995-2022, and according to which the proportion of union affiliated workers has fallen for the...
26 May 2023
Italy: Acea Group signs ‘People and Participation Charter’ MoU
Italian multi-utility provider Acea together with the trade union bodies has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) defining a new participatory people-centred industrial relations model. The...
Great Britain: BT Group announces plans to replace current jobs with AI
On 18 May, the UK telecommunications giant said it intends to shed up to 55,000 jobs by 2030, with the bulk of the losses centred on its UK operations where its current headcount totals 80,000...
United States:  United Steelworkers union marks major breakthrough at the Blue Bird electric school bus plant in the Southern state of Georgia
Blue Bird, which builds electric school buses in Fort Valley, Georgia has become the first significant group (1,400 employees) to join the United Steelworkers union (USW). On 12 May workers in a...
17 May 2023
Spain: social partners sign a major social agreement that provides for a 10% pay rise over three years
Management and unions have agreed in an National Framework Agreement on Employment and Collective Bargaining to a wage increase of 4% in 2023 and 3% in both 2024 and 2025, along with an annual 1%...
Alain Li (Richemont): “In Asia-Pacific, we have focused on local hiring and talent development”
Over the last few years, Swiss luxury goods powerhouse Richemont has been growing rapidly in Asia-Pacific, where is has a presence in 10 countries. The region now accounts for 8,000 of its 35,000...
Italy: banking sector social partners agree to extend their collective agreement renewal date
On 26 April, and with procedures for the renewal of the banking sector national collective bargaining agreement (NCA) falling behind schedule, both the employers’ organisation (ABI –...
4 May 2023
Italy: agreement on hybrid working for the Generali Group
On 20 April, Generali Group, Italy’s global insurance and asset management provider, together with the unions First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca, FNA and SNFIA, signed a smart working agreement that...
3 May 2023
France: three agreements reached on working conditions for platform-based delivery drivers
Three months after a landmark agreement that set a minimum income for ride-hail drivers, three new agreements have been reached under the aegis of the newly formed Platform Employment Industrial...
26 April 2023
Great Britain: an agreement to accompany change at Royal Mail
On 21 April the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced it had reached an agreement with Royal Mail Group. The ‘Business Recovery, Transformation and Growth Agreement’ grants a 10% pay rise...
26 April 2023
Germany: Helaba Bank hands staff a monthly sustainability bonus
German bank Helaba, the parent company of savings banks in the German state of Hesse, has announced that it will pay a monthly sustainability bonus (Nachhaltigkeitsprämie) to its 6,300...
France: Decathlon’s onboarding platform geared to optimising the integration of dual work-study participants
French sporting goods company Decathlon has called on the Heyteam onboarding platform to harmonise the integration of its work-study students, the number of whom has more than doubled in three...
Germany: court ruling puts downward pressure on wages of works council employee representatives
A ruling on 10 January 2023 by Germany’s highest court, the Federal Court of Justice, means the career and salary evaluation practices that employers use for employees who have switched to the...
19 April 2023
United Kingdom: taskforce launched to tackle economic inactivity due to ill health
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of individuals in economic inactivity – particularly due to long-term health issues – has risen substantially in the UK, from 8.6 million in...
7 April 2023
Germany: IG Metall seeking to negotiate a four-day week in the steel industry
Almost 40 years after the protracted strike action that gradually led to the introduction in 1995 of the 35-hour working week in the German metal industry, the IG Metall trade union has announced...
Fabrice Staad and Paul Sauveplane (Alan): “We apply radical transparency within the company” (interview)
Digital health insurance company Alan is not only one of France’s stand-out scale-up businesses; it has developed a corporate culture that makes it pretty unique in the world of work. Chief...
5 April 2023
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
Inditex European works council mobilises on value sharing
In a joint statement, 10 trade unions comprising the European works council of the Inditex clothing group are calling for rallies in Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany...
6
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