Labour relations

On 31 March, the level of trade union representation across industries in the private sector was made public. The statistics are published every four years according to the results of professional...

31 March 2017

Great Britain: to minimize uncertainty, London will copy European law into UK law

After having triggered Article 50 on 29 March and thereby launching the UK’s official exit from the EU, on 30 March the government published its White Paper on Legislating for the United Kingdom’s...

30 March 2017

Italy: Italcementi restructuring enables managers to move to local SMEs

Italy’s multinational cement company Italcementi, bought in 2016 by Germany’s HeidelbergCement has launched a landmark initiative, which in collaboration with the employers’ body Confindustria and...

30 March 2017

Germany: employers hold that metal workers are satisfied with their working time

At a time when the IG Metall union is calling for more employee friendly working time flexibility, on 27 March the employers’ body Gesamtmetall unveiled the conclusions of a representative survey...

29 March 2017

Spain: the second national collective agreement is signed for the metals sector

On 27 March, the CCOO and UGT-FICA unions, together with the employers’ body, Confemetal, signed the second national collective agreement for the metals sector (industry, technology, and...

29 March 2017

LafargeHolcim: signs an agreement establishing an EWC

Signed on 27 March, the agreement puts an EWC in place for the new group that resulted from the merger in 2015 of two cement giants, one Swiss and one French, and places it under Belgian...

29 March 2017

Bonduelle: a new EWC agreement

In a press statement published on 28 March, EFFAT, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions announced a new EWC agreement for the French vegetable processing producer...

29 March 2017

France: collective agreement reached for umbrella companies

With the creation of a branch for umbrella companies in December, social partners were tasked with building a framework for the development of this form of employment – a halfway house between...

24 March 2017

Argentina: salary agreement in retail sector

The retail sector trade union in Argentina has reached an annual salary agreement with the country’s government and employers’ chambers. By striking the deal, the largest trade union in the...

24 March 2017

Finland: the president of the employers association seeks an end to collective agreements and looks to chop 10%-15% off salaries

The employers’ toughening stance is nothing new. At the end of spring 2016 employers (EK) announced that contrary to the general custom in place since the end of WWII they intended to suspend...

23 March 2017

Argentina: Mauricio Macri’s government to face its first general strike

Reunited in August 2016, following several years of schism that resulted in three union bodies (c.f. article No. 9796), and against a backdrop of morose economic conditions, the central CGT union...

21 March 2017

United Kingdom: 1.3 million workers have one foot in the gig economy, says CIPD study

According to a new study conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 4% of the British working population work in the gig economy, essentially to top up their...

20 March 2017

EU: the European Trade Union Confederation confirms its position over the need for an improvement of the EU Directive on European Works Councils

On 16 March, the European Trade Union organisation’s executive committee confirmed its position over the improvement EU Directive 2009/38 on European Works Councils, one which places particular...

17 March 2017

Germany: steel sector set for 4% wage increase

The 72,000 steel sector workers based in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen will soon enjoy a wage increase. In the early hours of the morning on 17 March, at the end of a final...

17 March 2017

Norway: new salary agreement to boost low wages but casts doubt over local negotiations in several sectors

On 14 March, a salary agreement was reached by the two Norwegian confederations – the LO (the Confederation of Trade Unions) and the NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise). The agreement sets...

17 March 2017

Brazil: day of national mobilization protesting labor law and pensions reforms

Following a call by six central union bodies, 500,000 demonstrators gathered on 15 March in twenty-two of Brazil’s major towns and cities to declare their opposition to Michel Temer’s government’s...

16 March 2017

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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