Great Britain: tricky merger between RMT and TSSA transport and rail unions
Discussions will focus upon closer working between both unions initially through a federation structure with a view to moving towards a merger. Both unions also agreed that the door will remain...
United States: United Auto Workers (UAW) wants higher wages for new employees
ed Auto Workers (UAW), wants the $14 an hour wage which most entry-levels workers receive to be increased. The UAW is currently bargaining for pay with the “Big 3” (General Motors...
Belgium: retailing negotiations fail
in the trade industry launched a campaign calling for the resumption of talks on working conditions in the sector. Unable to overcome their disagreements, the social partners terminated the...
Poland: report on working and employment conditions in businesses
the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin) published, on August 24th, a report on work and employment conditions in Polish enterprises. It shows that, since 2005, while working...
Germany: Verdi and Deutsche Post bargain for new part-time retirement system to face staff ageing
On July 4th, Deutsche Post and the Verdi union have launched negotiations which will spread over seven meetings in order to develop a new working time system updating part-time early retirement...
Great Britain: report by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, ACAS, on its intervention for industrial disputes
, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, has seen a significant increase in demand for its help resolving large-scale industrial disputes in the past year. Releasing its annual report in July, ACAS...
Slovakia: commentary of the Labor Code amendment coming into force on September 1, 2011
Slovakian Parliament, the amendment to the Labor Code which brings many changes to nearly one third of labor law regulations was adopted on July 13th by a very small majority. On July 27th, the...
Thales: at its last European convention, the high-tech group evaluates the application of its IDEA and TALK European agreements
A European and joint exercise so the process doesn’t run out of steam.  “IDEA was created two years ago.  We cannot get into a routine, we need to boost it, revitalize its development, and...
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...
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