France: social partners agree to modernize the labour market
Employers' and union organizations signed, on January 11, a draft agreement on the modernization of the labour market. Presented as a French enforcement of the EU's flexicurity system, this...
Italy: negotiations on the renewal of metalworkers’ national collective agreement resumed
Negotiations for the renewal of metalworkers' national collective agreement started again on January 9, with both parties openly willing to sign an agreement as soon as possible. For the first...
EU : a study on European works councils
77 companies took part to the survey, representing 10 industrial sectors in 12 countries of the European Union. A third have a workforce of over 50,000, just under a third have less than 10,000...
Suez-Gaz de France: update of the information-consultation process for the merger
Suez's management declared, on January 8, that the unfavourable judgement rendered by its European dialogue body "end the procedure of consultation of staff representation bodies" and enables to...
Portugal: a white paper on labour law reform
Relationship between law, collective agreements and labour contract. Traditionally, the law established binding minima that could only be improved by the collective agreements and the labour...
Estonia: the unions oppose the bill on employment contracts
The bill of the Reformist Party in government seeks to facilitate severance by simplifying procedures and reducing the period of notice as well as the amount of severance pay. The unions reacted...
Italy: consultation between the government and unions on the “wage issue”
The "wage issue" was presented as the government's priority for 2008. It is also a priority for the Cgil, the Cisl and the Uil which, in their November 24 platform, asked for a reduction of the...
Bulgaria: unions ready to strike against the draft bill on collective bargaining
Unions threatened to launch a general strike in the spring if Parliament adopts the draft bill on collective bargaining, which would establish a conciliation procedure before launching any...
EU: EWCs calling to the Commission’s attention about the content of the future amended directive on EWCs
Welcoming a possible modifications of the directive on European works' councils (see our article No. 071000,) several EWCs (Alcatel-Lucent, Chemtura, Italcementi and Securitas) sent Vladimir...
Hungary: judgment on the lawfulness of a strike under a valid collective agreement
According to the decision of the Metropolitan Court of Budapest, laid down last December 21, 2007, a strike lanched by the Independent Union of Rail Man (VDSZSZ) to request a compensation for...
Germany: employers dread tough tariffs for 2008
A few days before wage negotiations in the public sector start, which will be the beginning of a series of other negotiations, employers' organizations warned : too important tariff agreements...
Great Britain: agenda for labour law reforms
Several texts concerning labour law are coming into effect this year. They notably plan to toughen sanctions for non-respect of minimum wage, mostly for temp work agencies, employers' legal...
Belgium: several national collective agreements adopted
The national Labour Council approved, on December 20, 2007, a series of national collective agreements (CCT) and of judgments to enforce several parts of the interprofessional agreement for the...
Luxembourg: new collective agreement for the banking sector
After long and tough negotiations, the Association of Luxembourg's Banks and Bankers (ABBL) and the largest union in the sector, Aleba, signed, on December 28, a new collective agreement for the...
Spain: illegal workers have the right to strike
The Constitutional court gave illegal immigrants working in Spain the right to strike. It declared that the provision of the law on foreigners, which only grants the right to assemble and to...
Telefonica Group: “code of conduct” on workers’ rights
The telecommunication group Telefonica, the trade union federation Uni Global and the Spanish unions UGT and CC.OO signed, on December 17, a "code of conduct" on workers' rights, renewing the...
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
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
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...
6
France: generative AI and older workers central to BPCE’s skills management strategy
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...