Great Britain: second wave of strikes in the post after Royal Mail and unions talks failed
Failed talks. The three days of bargaining didn’t please Royal Mail’s unions. The company accused the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) of “walking away” as peace talks were making significant...
Germany: Verdi, IG Metall and IG BCE present conflicting wage claims for 2010
The IG-Metall mostly wants to maintain jobs. “The automotive industry, machine-tool manufacturers and their suppliers are battling with unprecedented drops in orders. The key priority is to...
Italy: new Cisl federation for agency, independent or atypical workers
Organize the universe of independent and atypical labor. The Cisl jointed its two federations, the Alai (atypical workers) and the Clacs (independent workers) into a singled federation, the Felsa...
Germany: BMW couples senior executives and workers’ wage increases
Herald Kruger, director of personnel at BMW, announced the news in an interview to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on October 24, 2009. The carmaker, which never drew attention with...
Germany: sectoral minimum wage introduced in industrial laundry and mining
100,000 employees in three sectors. Probably reassured by the declaration made by Angela Merkel who, in spite of the hesitation of her new liberal ally, promised that the system for the...
Slovakia: government increases minimum wage by 4.1% for 2010
The Confederation of Trade Unions of the Slovak Republic (KOZ SR) justified its high claims by the need to reduce the gap between minimum wage and average wage (€721.40). It is also based on the...
Italy: unitary agreement for the renewal of the telecommunications’ collective contract
New unitary agreement. In spite of three different claim platforms, the Asstel employers’ association and the Fistel-Cisl, SLC-CGIL and Uilcom-Uil unions concluded, on October 23, a unitary...
Danone: European Works Council extended at global level
Official opening at global level. As the management of the French food company reminded in a press release published on October 21, the agreement establishing the ICC – Danone’s EWC – originally...
Sweden: government proposes to adjust industrial relations system to comply with EU law
Supervising collective action. In a decision rendered in December 2007 (Laval, see our dispatch No. 071034), the ECJ ruled that, in the case of posted workers, Swedish unions’ actions to...
China: surprising workforce shortage for the ‘made in china’
Orders are back but not workers. No answer to his job offers and no one to recruit at the city’s employment fair. Like his colleagues, Yang Zongfu can’t find workers to come work in his jean plant...
26 October 2009
Spain: temp social partners list eight recommendations to bargain for equality programs in the sector’s businesses
These eight recommendations, of a declarative value, were developed within the equal committee on best practices in terms of equality programs in the temporary sector. They have to characterize...
Portugal: Minister for Labor and Solidarity from a European trade union
European trade union leader. Maria Helena André was elected ETUC deputy general secretary in 2003, and reelected in 2007. She was notably in charge of European social dialog. The new Labor...
Italy: basic unions join forces but are still divided over the creation of a union confederation
“Fully successful” strike. This is how Pierpaolo Leonardi, national Rdb Cub coordinator, qualified the general 24-hour strike launched by basic unions – Rdb, Cub, Cobas and Sdl Intercategoriale...
Argentina: inflation higher than wage increases
According to the human resources specialist, Ernst & Young, a huge majority of Argentinean businesses increased wages in 2009 for workers who aren’t covered by collective agreements. In a...
Italy: the Fiom’s central committee confirms mobilization against the separate agreement on the metalworking CCN
“Deeply negative judgment.” This is how the central committee of the Fiom, gathered on October 20, summarized its point of view on the agreement for the renewal of the CCN signed on October 15 by...
China: expats going home
Fewer expats. The big apartment on the 20th floor with a view on Shanghai’s skyscrapers seems pretty empty. After nine months living in China, Karine is quickly gathering her last boxes in the...
21 October 2009
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