Germany: German employers paid EUR 28 in social contributions for EUR 100 of gross salary in 2010
Labor cost slightly lower than in France.  The survey published by the German Federal Statistics Agency (Destatis) on April 11th is probably going to revive the debate between economists, at least...
Sweden: after consulting its members, Unionen announces priorities for coming negotiations
Expected results.  The survey was organized as a lighter version of the survey carried out before the 2010-2011 negotiations. At the time, the members were invited to answer two questions: how do...
Portugal: interview of Manuel Bravo, secretary for collective bargaining at the CGTP’s metalworkers’ federation, Fiequimetal
Manuel Bravo.  Indeed, the government recently resigned because of the austerity measures presented to the Portuguese population.  This austerity program was first discussed with Angela Merkel and...
Austria: Telekom Austria takes up internal and external interim
Last week, the President of Telekom Austria AG (TA AG), Walter Holtz, presented the new initiative of the former public monopoly, privatized in 1996 and listed on the stock market since 2000. ...
12 April 2011
Spain: interview of Felipe Lopez, general secretary of the CCOO’s manufacturing federation
Felipe Lopez.  The manufacturing union federation of the CCOO is the key manufacturing federation in Spain.  It covers the iron and steel industrial, shipbuilding, defense, aerospace, information...
Italy: banking unions present unitary platform for the renewal of the sector’s collective agreement
On April 7th, banking unions (Dircredito, Fabi, Fiba-Cisl, Fisac-CGIL, Sinfub, Ugl and Uilca) launched the unitary platform for the renewal of the sector’s CCN.  They say they want to continue...
Romania: government ready to engage liability on the reform of collective labor relations
Liability.  The Boc administration has chosen the same scenario: as it did for the Labor Code, it intends to engage its responsibility for the draft Social Code supposed to regulate the...
11 April 2011
Spain: Correos signs collective agreement
On April 5th, unions and management signed the new agreement regulating, until 2013, the working conditions of over 60,000 employees in the postal company.  The agreement includes the 3rd...
Areva: interview of Philippe Vivien, Group HR manager, about the European agreement on forecasting and anticipating employment and competences
Philippe Vivien.  No, it doesn’t.  It is our second negotiation around a theme that is complicated and polymorphous.  Our first negotiation was on professional equality and it is true that this...
Great Britain: new social conflict in engineering construction industry
At the beginning of March, a one-day strike took place at the BP Hull site on Humberside where a multi-million pound bio-ethanol fuel plant is being constructed. After lengthy discussions with...
France: interview of Philippe Martinez, general secretary of the French metalworkers’ union federation, FTM-CGT
Philippe Martinez.  The current economic and social crisis got us thinking about the need to quicken concrete collaboration on a certain number of determined issues, including manufacturing issues...
Italy: broken negotiations on the national insurance collective agreement cause several mobilizations
“Strong and clear” employee support to unions’ platform: this is how Giuseppe Gallo, Fiba Cisl general secretary, qualified the national strike of March 28th with a 90% turnout.  The strike...
Italy: interview of Maurizio Landini, Fiom-CGIL general secretary
Maurizio Landini.  The crisis we are going through is more severe than in other parts of Europe.  Youth unemployment amounts to nearly 30% and precariousness has reached unprecedented peaks in...
Germany: new improvements of the apprenticeship market “thanks” to the decline in birth rate
Better professional prospects for young people.  As an introduction, Mrs. Schavan reminded that there was a close relation between businesses’ economic health and the situation on the...
6 April 2011
Romania: tense negotiations on the reform of collective industrial relations
”Pretence of dialogue” according to unions.  After a fierce first round on the reform of the Labor Code, it seems the fight is starting up stronger than ever between unions and the Romanian...
Germany: Verdi calls for 6.5% increase for the 2.9 million commerce employees
The social partners in Hessen opened, in early march, collective negotiations in retail trade.  Mid-march, they were followed by the social partners in Bade-Württemberg.  Their colleagues in...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
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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
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...
4
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...
5
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...
6
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...