Labour relations

In February a landmark company agreement was signed for the production facility in the premium jewellery firm Bulgari that is located in Valenza, Piedmont (Italy’s goldsmith center). The agreement...

26 February 2020

Spain: “We don’t want to go back to the 1980s or 1990s, but to move towards flexibility and adaptation at companies that is negotiated and not imposed on employees in an opaque way,” says CCOO general secretary Unai Sordo

Unai Sordo, general secretary of the Workers' Commissions (CCOO), the largest trade union in Spain, with 977,000 members and 97,000 union delegates across companies, set out what he hopes can be...

24 February 2020

Germany: collective agreements in 2019 marked by rise of ‘options models’ for working time

The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) at the Hans Böckler trade union foundation, which manages the organisation’s collective agreement database, has recently published its summary...

20 February 2020

Germany: metallurgy sector companies are struggling with complex working time options

The Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW) that is financed by the Gesamtmetall employers’ confederation has surveyed almost 800 companies to determine how well new labor options have been...

19 February 2020

Telenor: renews the global agreement with UNI Global Unio

On 14 February, Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor ASA signed a new global agreement with UNI Global Union that runs for three years and introduces several new provisions pertaining to...

18 February 2020

Italy: Fastweb telecommunications company lowers working time while keeping salaries unchanged

According to a company agreement signed on 06 February, the number of hours in the working week for many of Fastweb’s employees will fall from 40 to 38. This is a landmark move for a sector facing...

17 February 2020

Spain: USO trade body shuns Solvay policy that recognizes competences acquired as part of staff representative mandates

In what appears to be a real culture clash, the USO trade body is criticizing the Charter agreed between management at the chemical company and its European Works Council, over recognition for...

17 February 2020

Denmark: new collective agreement reached in industry

On 9 February, the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Central Organisation of Industrial Employees in Denmark (CO-industri) struck a deal on a new collective agreement for industry. The...

14 February 2020

Italy: Fondimpresa- the interprofessional fund for lifelong training releases €5 million to develop active employment policies

Founded 15 years ago by the employers’ Confindustria organization and the central union organizations (Cgil, Cisl, and Uil), the Fondimpresa (that finances employee lifelong training...

14 February 2020

Spain: agreement at PSA for the Vigo and Madrid facilities

Agreements have just been signed for two PSA facilities in Spain. They both contain the same salary increase framework that depends on the Group’s European earnings, and a similar mechanism in...

12 February 2020

Italy: green light for tough negotiations to start over the 6,000 job losses announced for UniCredit staff

Following on from the presentation at the end of 2019 of a 2023 strategic plan that intends for significant reorganization and the closure of 450 of its subsidiaries in Italy, UniCredit sent a...

11 February 2020

Chile: country gearing up for female mobilization action in March

On 08 February, several of the country’s feminist organizations within the feminist 8M movement called for major protest action in March in the defense of women’s rights within the...

11 February 2020

Brazil: 10-day old Petrobras strike action extends across the whole country

Since 01 February, Brazil’s semi-public Brazilian multinational corporation, Petrobras has been hit with strike action that has now extended to almost 90 of its industrial sites (oil platforms and...

11 February 2020

Italy: trust in social partners among population increases

The 32nd ‘Rapporto Italia’ from EURISPES (Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies), published on 30 January and covering the main social trends in Italy, reveals a sizeable...

10 February 2020

Spain: agreement between the Basque regional administration and the social partners in support of the Industry 4.0 transition process

The Basque Region’s government together with the employers’ body Confebask and the CCO and UGT trade unions have agreed to prepare a support plan for those affected by technological...

7 February 2020

Spain: CaixaBank extends its equality plan and includes recognition for the right to disconnect from work

On 21 January, and following three years of negotiations, management and trade unions at CaixaBank secured an agreement that completes and extend the scope of the bank’s first equality plan signed...

5 February 2020

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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

Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”

Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...

20 October 2025

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...

15 October 2025

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Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”

On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...

3 December 2025

Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle

In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...

2 December 2025

EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI

On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...

18 December 2025

Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining

On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...

2 December 2025

Inditex European works council mobilises on value sharing

In a joint statement, 10 trade unions comprising the European works council of the Inditex clothing group are calling for rallies in Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany...

24 November 2025

Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement

Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...

12 December 2025