Labour relations

Social partners in the main branch of Austria’s metal industry (machinery and tools) reached a collective agreement in the late hours on Sunday 18 November, meaning the sector narrowly avoided a...

19 November 2018

Germany: many metals workers are opting for more free time over extra money

In February 2018 the metal sector’s social partners signed a landmark collective agreement that allowed certain categories of worker (posted workers, workers with young families, workers taking...

13 November 2018

Great Britain: Lloyds Banking Group’s landmark digital social plan

Is new technology more of a threat to jobs than Brexit? Some in the UK are asking this question after private banking group Lloyds announced on 06 November a major shake-up in jobs as part of a...

8 November 2018

Spain: Carrefour bolsters its equality plan

On 30 October, Fetico, CCOO, UGT et Fasga unions signed a second equality plan for Carrefour Spain’s hypermarket/supermarket outlets that includes 120 new measures and implements positive...

6 November 2018

Great Britain: minimum wage to go up by almost 5% in 2019

On 29 October Chancellor P. Hammond delivered his final budget speech to the House of Commons before the UK formally leaves the EU and with it he hailed ‘The era of austerity is finally coming to...

30 October 2018

Japan: a shake up in the way young graduates are usually recruited

For the new president of Keidanren, (Japan’s Business Federation) there is no doubt whatsoever that Japan’s graduate recruitment system (the Shukatsu system), which has been operating since 1953...

30 October 2018

UPU: Universal Postal Union signs a cooperation agreement with Uni Global Union

UPU is an intergovernmental organization and specialized agency of the United Nations, comprising 192 member countries and is the principal cooperation forum for actors in the postal sector, that...

30 October 2018

Platforms: creation of the first transnational federation of delivery riders

The first pan-European assembly for workers of digital delivery platforms was held on 25 and 26 October in Brussels. The meeting organised by Alter Summit and GRESEA (research group for an...

29 October 2018

Austria: collective bargaining set to begin in trade sector

Social partners in Austria’s trade sector are due to begin the annual round of collective negotiations on 30 October in Vienna. As was the case with talks in the metal industry in September...

29 October 2018

Finland: ‘Work in the age of artificial intelligence’ report reassesses human resource management

In May 2017 the Minister of Economic Affairs appointed a steering group to prepare Finland for reaching its goal of becoming a global leader in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The group...

25 October 2018

Spain/an agreement to manage the end of the coal industry (in brief)

Planet Labor, 25 October 2018, nº10869 – www.planetlabor.com

25 October 2018

Argentina: a trade union for ‘gig economy’ workers

Argentina’s newly registered trade union: APP, the Association of Platform Personnel, is the first trade union in the Americas for workers in the ‘gig economy’. In the APP’s first press statement...

25 October 2018

Germany: Commerzbank also opts to do away with individual bonuses

Germany’s second largest bank, Commerzbank announced it was overhauling its bonus payment system, and the new one will come into effect on 01 January 2019. The new system will apply to 18,000...

23 October 2018

Spain: new collective agreement sets a minimum annual salary of €14,000 by 2020 in the temporary employment agency sector

In line with recommendations from the agreement on employment and collective bargaining that was concluded with the social partners in June 2018, the temporary employment sector is the first to...

23 October 2018

Rheinmetall: renews its global framework agreement with IndustriALL Global

In a press statement published on 12 September, the international union federation announced it renewed a global framework agreement that was first signed back in 2003 with the German corporation...

18 October 2018

Germany: SAP announces a set of AI guiding principles and creates an AI ethics advisory panel

At the end of September, Germany’s leading global software engineering company SAP announced a set artificial intelligence (AI) guiding principles based on the dual principles of transparency and...

17 October 2018

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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

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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: 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...

8 October 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