United States: Volkswagen employee representatives and the United Auto Workers union unite to facilitate organizing in the Chattanooga plant
King’s task in organizing in Tennessee will be made easier by a “Declaration on Social Rights and Industrial Relationships at Volkswagen” signed by the company, the International Metalworkers...
27 July 2011
Germany: new Eldorado for qualified jobseekers from southern Europe?
“There’s a lot of potential in Spain where thousands of engineers and IT specialists are unemployed” declared Monika Varnhagen, leader of the International Placement Services (Zentralen Arbeits-...
Germany: unemployment decreases while precariousness increases
The number of fixed-term contracts increased by 4.6%, but temporary work is booming: +32.5%.  Last year, temporary work accounted for over 50% of salaried recruitments and affected 742,000 workers...
25 July 2011
Great Britain: by reforming public sector pensions on a scheme-by-scheme basis, the government could avoid a widespread social conflict
This means that rather than meeting all the unions together, only the relevant unions will have a place at the bargaining table when future talks over individual schemes – like the Local...
Germany: 5.2% increase for insurance employees
After several waves of strikes (see our dispatch No.  110415), the Verdi services’ union and the employers’ federation of German insurance companies (AGV) have reached an agreement, early in the...
Italy: unitary agreement for the renewal of the collective agreement of Indesit Spa Group
After 18 hours negotiating, on July 19th, Indesit SpA and the National Coordination of Indesit Group unions – Fim-Cisl, Fiom-CGIL and Uilm-Uil – signed a unitary agreement for the renewal of the...
Italy: Court of Turin confirms the validity of the separate agreements of Pomigliano d’Arco but recognizes Fiat’s antiunion behavior towards the Fiom
“What’s important is that Fiat was condemned for antiunion behavior” Maurizio Landini, Fiom leader, pointed out when commenting the verdict rendered on July 16th by labor court of Turin, by Judge...
Poland: social partners failed to agree on minimum wage for 2012
“Unacceptable decision” for unions.  At the last plenary meeting of the tripartite committee (unions-employers-government), the trade unions vividly reacted to the government’s proposal to bring...
EADS: new European agreement on success-sharing
Now that it has a framework for the negotiation of transnational agreements (see our dispatch No.  100677), EADS has renegotiated its success-sharing agreement, which dated back to 2009.  The new...
Italy: banking social partners agree on reforming the sector’s solidarity fund
“A historical victory for the entire union movement since it avoided early or compulsory retirement for 30,000 Italian workers at a time of severe economic and social crisis.”  This is how the...
Italy: temporary social partners launch sectoral pension funds
“At European level, there has been no similar experience in the sector.  Therefore, Italy can pride itself in being the first, building a system capable of protecting agency workers throughout...
11 July 2011
Romania: harsh restructurings and privatizations in the offing for State companies
Numerous cuts.  The Romanian government is preparing a major wave of restructurings within State companies with financial difficulties: this summer alone, nearly 7,000 jobs should be cut in energy...
11 July 2011
Germany: growth is starting to show in wage increases negotiated in 2011
Moderate but durable increases.  According to the latest quarterly monitor of wage negotiated within the framework of sectoral collective agreements of the Hans Böckler foundation, collective...
Spain: unions and Telefónica management agree on 6,500 job cuts over 3 years
Unions agreed to the 3-year employment reduction program (ERE) affecting up to 6,500 employees.  The company accepted to improve its initial offer and will pay employees who leave 68% of their...
8 July 2011
Germany: Federal Government decides to work on the introduction of minimum wage in call centers
Gross hourly pay between €5.77 and €6.50, tough rhythms, overtime not counted, less than 20 days off a year, permanent shifting between the company’s different services or absence of training…. ...
Italy: leather social partners sign unitary agreement renewing the sectoral national collective agreement
Pointing out that union relations in the sectors have “always been rather complicated and ambivalent,” the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uilcem-Uil unions rejoiced with the signature, on June 28th...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
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What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: austerity measures proposed in social security financing bill for 2026
Limits on sick leave, the end of social security exemptions for apprentices, and the introduction of additional birth leave: the 2026 social security financing bill, presented to parliament on 14...
16 October 2025
2
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
3
France: Decathlon introduces a ‘duty to respect others’ right to disconnect’
A right-to-disconnect agreement was signed in late September for the French arm of the Decathlon sports retail group. It sets out a "duty to respect others’ right to disconnect" and provides...
14 November 2025
4
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
5
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
6
Italy: new collective agreement for managers in tertiary sector
On 5 November, the ManagerItalia union and the employers’ association Confcommercio renewed the collective agreement for managers in Italy’s tertiary, distribution and services...