Labour relations

To general surprise, on 09 April during a meeting on a rescue plan for the Alco Sardinia steel facility, Carlo Calenda, Italy’s Minister for Economic Development announced that the project...

12 April 2018

Brazil: as the government launches its agenda for ‘Industry 4.0’, unions are seeking consultation and dialogue on the future of jobs

In mid-March Brazil’s Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade put a series of measures forward that aim to stimulate ‘the industry of the future’. The metals union has harshly criticized the lack...

12 April 2018

Germany: a new collective agreement at Deutsche Post allows employees to choose between more money and more free time

In line with recent sector and company level negotiations that indicate how Germany’s workers are seeking ways to achieve a better work-life balance, Deutsche Post’s (DP) 130,000 employees, who...

11 April 2018

Great Britain: satisfied senior managers but with the low skilled stuck in their jobs, the CIPD provides its first overview of how good job quality is in the UK

On 11 April, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for HR and people development, published its first broad survey on the quality of jobs in the UK...

11 April 2018

Norway: agreement on salaries and pensions struck between the union confederations (LO and YS) and the employers’ body (NHO)

On 08 April 2018, 15 hours after the date that was set for strike action, agreement was eventually found between the employers’ NHO body, and the LO and YS union confederations. Extracting...

9 April 2018

United Kingdom: a breakdown of gender pay gap figures

More than 10,000 UK companies with 250 employees or more published their gender pay gap in time for the April 4 deadline set by the country’s government, as part of a new law adopted in 2017 (see...

9 April 2018

Spain: talks between unions and employers over collective bargaining and employment framework agreement at a standstill

Will trade unions and employers in Spain manage to seal a framework agreement on collective bargaining and employment this year? That is the question on people’s lips as talks remain at a...

9 April 2018

United States: trade unions raise concerns over draft labour law reforms in Mexico, which could undermine the objectives of the NAFTA renegociation

With negotiations over a new free trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico (NAFTA), which had long been viewed as dead in the water, recently resuming, aided perhaps by the...

9 April 2018

Italy: oil and gas company ENI augments ‘smart working’

In light of the success of its pilot phase that was launched in February 2017 and which only concerned parents with young children, on 23 March 2018, ENI, together with the Filctem-Cgil...

4 April 2018

Germany: unprecedented agreement on occupational health management reached by Primark and Verdi

The services industry trade union Verdi and the Irish clothing retailer Primark have reached an agreement to provide training for management staff on workplace health. The agreement, which is one...

30 March 2018

United Kingdom: government unveils £12 million fund to boost adult skills

The UK’s skills minister Anne Milton announced on 29 March that some 11.7 million pounds (13.3 million euros) would be freed up to fund 32 new projects in the country, to help adults learn new...

30 March 2018

Finland: last minute agreement for the banking sector

Following five months of negotiations, and sector-wide strike action set for the start of April (c.f. article No. 10611), employers and unions have finally accepted conciliator Minna Helle’s...

26 March 2018

Solvay: signing of a charter on the recognition of employee representative skills

On 28 February, Solvay CEO, Jean-Pierre Clamadieu and EWC coordinator Albert Kruft together signed the first European text that recognizes skills acquired by those undertaking employee...

26 March 2018

Great Britain: a return to higher real salaries?

On 21 March 2018, the UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that salaries in the country rose an annual 2.6% in the quarter between November 2017 and January 2018. Against this...

22 March 2018

Japan: banks may launch their own recruitment service

In light of regulatory reforms within the banking sector as announced by the Financial Services Agency, the FSA, Japan’s banks will be able to provide their customers with recruitment support...

22 March 2018

Hungary: new worker profiles entering the manufacturing sector

Hungary’s manufacturing companies are currently having to cope with serious manpower management challenges. According to a recent survey, 88% of businesses are struggling to manage a manpower...

22 March 2018

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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

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31 October 2025

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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