Labour relations

Following more than five years of discord (c.f. article No. 9699), Federdistribuzione, an independent umbrella employers’ body encompassing the major supermarket chains (Auchan, Carrefour...

8 January 2019

Germany: train drivers secure the right to disconnect from work

On 04 January, just a few weeks after signing the initial agreement with the major rail union, EVG, Germany’s rail company Deutsche Bahn signed another collective agreement, this time with the GDL...

8 January 2019

Italy/EU Commission avoids pursuing excessive deficit procedures over budget in return for less fund allocation to citizen’s income and pensions

Italy’s Conte government has reviewed the contents of its 2019 budget and in order to avoid EU Commission sanctions will lower the expected deficit to GDP ratio to 2.04% from the original 2.4%. In...

20 December 2018

Germany: Verdi and Deutsche Post give a positive assessment of the Deutsche Post part-time early retirement model

Implemented in 2011, Deutsche Post’s (DP) part-time early retirement model (Altersteilzeit), called the ‘Generation Contract’ has struck a very positive chord with postal workers and it has just...

19 December 2018

United Kingdom: May blows the cobwebs off the labour code, without taking action on zero-hour contracts or the gig economy

On 17 December, the UK government unveiled a package of labour reforms, which it believes are the biggest for 20 years. The government’s Good Work Plan, which is a response to the Taylor report...

17 December 2018

Germany: Deutsche Bahn workers can still choose between more pay and more free time

On Saturday 15 December, following difficult negotiations that were marked by a warning strike on 10 December that left much of the country’s rail traffic paralyzed, Germany’s rail company...

17 December 2018

Romania : first collective agreement in the finance sector signed (in brief)

On 12 December, FinBan, the Romanian federation for financial services employers, and the FSAB, the federation of insurance and bank trade unions, signed the first collective agreement in the...

17 December 2018

Italy: a first experiment of workers on the board at Vitec Imaging Solutions

In what is to be a first in Italy, a country in which co-management remains unusual, the company agreement at Vitec Imaging Solutions (formerly Manfrotto), which was signed in April this year with...

14 December 2018

Spain: trade unions and government reach agreement to modify labour law (in brief)

An agreement has been reached by Spain’s employment ministry and the CCOO and UGT trade unions, though without the involvement of the CEOE and Cepyme employer organisations, who refused to...

14 December 2018

Volkswagen: IndustriALL Global is ready to change up a gear in its dispute over the automaker’s US Chattanooga site (in brief)

In a press statement on 12 December, the global industry union federation indicated that on 30 November its executive committee had unanimously voted for a resolution calling on Volkswagen to...

12 December 2018

Transnational company agreements, a win-win approach for companies and employee representatives (from a report as part of the joint ETUC-BusinessEurope project)

For the first time, trade unions, employers’ organizations and businesses have discussed the issue of transnational company agreements as part of a joint ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation)...

11 December 2018

Hungary: protests against proposed law that will allow companies to demand 400 extra hours of work per year (in brief)

Following calls from trade unions in Hungary, some 5,000 people turned out to protest in Budapest on Saturday 8 December against what has been dubbed the “slave law”. Tabled by policy-makers from...

10 December 2018

Italy: mechanical and metals sector social partners mobilize to promote lifelong training

The mechanical and metals sector collective agreement that was renewed in November 2016 and that covers some 1.6 million workers (c.f. article No. 9941) includes ‘the individual’s right to...

6 December 2018

Groupama : EWC and management have signed a joint declaration on ‘quality of life at work’ with special emphasis on the impact of digitalization

Trade union federation Uni Europa published the information that on 01 July 2018 a joint declaration was signed by the social partners of the Groupama SA EWC (represented by its secretary) and the...

4 December 2018

United Kingdom: one year on from the launch of the government’s industrial strategy, employers call for new impetus

In November 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May turned the page on the Thatcher era by establishing an industrial strategy with companies, which would seek to boost the country’s economy and...

30 November 2018

Germany : with ‘Lex Ryanair’ as a backdrop, Sun Express agrees to set up a works council (in brief)

A draft amendment by the Labor Minister aimed at facilitating the setting up of a works council in the airline sector and commonly called ‘Lex Ryanair’ (c.f. article No. 10897) looks to be...

29 November 2018

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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

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

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

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