Labour relations

Nissan’s announcement in May that it would close its factories in Barcelona came as a huge shock in the region and sparked unions and the Catalan government into action, as they demanded a...

25 August 2020

Planet Labor updates are paused from close of business on 24 July and will recommence on the morning of 24 August

Planet Labor is taking time off to enjoy the summer break. No fresh updates will be published until the morning of 24 August. You can of course access all our previous articles during this period...

24 July 2020

United States: trade union lead demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement

The SEIU (Service Employees International Union representing workers in low-wage sectors who continued to work during the COVID-19 pandemic), together with other major unions and civil society...

21 July 2020

EU: joint guidelines drawn up for safe return to work in chemicals industry

On 17 July, social partners in the European chemical, pharmaceutical, rubber and plastics industries – IndustriAll Europe on the trade union side and the ECEG (European Chemical Employers...

20 July 2020

Italy: Sanofi agreement with trade unions boosts agile working

The agreement signed at the end of May by management at the Italian subsidiary of French pharmaceutical group Sanofi and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec unions is unique in Italy. It...

13 July 2020

Germany: Verdi and Veolia Deutschland sign collective agreement creating ‘post-pandemic’ support fund for staff in waste management division

On Thursday 9 July, German services trade union Verdi and the management of the German subsidiary of environmental services group Veolia announced that they have signed a collective agreement...

10 July 2020

United Kingdom: High Court permits union to challenge government on lack of protections for gig economy workers

On 9 July, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain revealed that the UK High Court has granted the union permission to challenge health and safety legislation in the country. Amid the...

10 July 2020

Spain: agreement at Vodafone for a pilot project to extend remote working

On 07 July Vodafone management together with the CCOO and UGT trade unions concluded an agreement, which in the short term frames a gradual, ‘orderly and safe’ return to the ‘new normal’, by...

9 July 2020

France: agreement reached at Safran group to avoid social breakdown

Negotiations concluded on Friday 3 July with the support of 3 organisations – the FO, CFDT and CFE-CGC (the CGT should decide by Wednesday) – prepared to sign the agreement. The agreement proposes...

8 July 2020

Germany: chemical trade union launches a model company agreement countering racism and extreme right-wing ideas in the company

The IG BCE (German Chemical, Mining and Energy Workers Union) has decided to implement a ‘pro-active’ strategy against racism and the spread of extreme right-wing ideas in companies. To this end...

7 July 2020

EU: ETUC and European union federations issue joint statement on involvement of workers in managing Covid-19 crisis

On 29 June, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the union federations IndustriAll Europe, UNI Europa (services), EFFAT (food, agriculture and tourism), EPSU (public service workers)...

6 July 2020

Spain: government, unions and employers sign pact to boost jobs

Today, on 3 July, representatives of the CEOE and Cepyme employer organisations and of the CCOO and UGT trade unions penned an agreement with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez to “reactivate...

3 July 2020

New leadership team at IndustriAll Europe

The 2020 Congress of IndustriAll Europe, the European union federation, which had been scheduled for May of this year, was postponed until June 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless...

3 July 2020

Italy: a selection of ‘Covid-Phase 2’ company agreements

Following the initial disruptive impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on production processes, and as a result of the safety measures that were adopted in line with Italy's national protocol signed in...

30 June 2020

France: the environment is a subject for social dialogue in some companies

Environmental issues are currently a key focus of discussion in the trade union apparatus with debates occurring in forums outside those of traditional social dialogue and collective bargaining...

25 June 2020

France: launch of a 2nd tranche of testing aimed at combatting discrimination in recruitment

In the coming weeks, the government will launch a second tranche of tests conducted to shed light on ongoing discrimination in hiring within companies. It will be conducted among 40 randomly...

23 June 2020

1…48 495051 52…404

Our mind news

See all

France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement

Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...

5 March 2026

France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules

Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.

29 January 2026

France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval

The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...

8 December 2025

mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators

In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...

31 October 2025

Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR

What readers clicked on the most last month.

In the category

What readers clicked on the most last month.

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

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

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

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

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

UK: duty for employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union postponed to 1 January 2027

The news. On 25 September, the British government published its response to a consultation launched on 23 October on the duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union. The...

1 October 2026