Labour relations

Antonio Catalan, president of the Marriott AC Hotels chain has criticized hotels for using temporary employment and precarious working conditions as their basis for growth. His words echo those of...

29 November 2016

Italy: metal industry social partners reach draft deal on new national collective agreement for the sector

The talks were long deadlocked on the issue of wage raises, but the social partners appear to have resolved the thorny issue, satisfying both the needs of workers and the demands of companies...

28 November 2016

Spain: unions to mobilise in December and protest against the government’s lack of commitment to social dialogue

The head of Spain’s government met with social partners on 24 November, in a meeting which should have marked the reopening of the country’s social agenda. However, the encounter ended in deadlock...

28 November 2016

Argentina: jobs pact until March 2017

During the week of 21 November Argentina’s government announced that the employers’ associations and unions had signed an agreement, the goal of which is to stave off redundancies against a tense...

28 November 2016

Great Britain: a Brexit budget

On 23 November, during the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s first autumn statement, Mr. Hammond announced that the minimum wage for the over twenty-fives would rise by 4.2%. More generally, the...

23 November 2016

RATP signs an agreement to institute a European Works Council

On 22 November, RATP, France’s local transportation group, together with its SNB signed an agreement to put an EWC in place. RATP operates in Europe and across the world, primarily via its...

23 November 2016

Great Britain: PM Theresa May backtracks on putting workers on company boards

On Monday 21 November the British PM surprised by nuancing her campaign promise to put workers on company boards of directors. “While it is important that the voices of workers and consumers...

22 November 2016

SCOR extends its European Charter on professional equality worldwide to the Group’s offices throughout the world (update of an article published on 09 November)

On 07 November, the French re-insurance and financial services company announced it was extending its commitments on professional equality between women and men, initially worked on by the SCOR SE...

22 November 2016

Sweden: an agreement in principle on flexible retirement in the service sector

Both the Unionen (private sector union) and Sveriges Ingenjörer (Swedish engineers) unions welcomed securing an agreement in principle on 11 November with the employers’ organization, Almega, and...

22 November 2016

Germany: Volkswagen plans to cut 23,000 jobs in Germany but hopes to create 9,000 new positions in the areas of e-mobility and digitalisation

On 18 November, after months of tense negotiations, the world’s largest car manufacturer and its general works council signed a ‘pact for the future’ which will kick-start the most comprehensive...

21 November 2016

Bulgaria: campaign launched to improve working conditions for suppliers and subcontractors for multinational companies

On 4 October, after more than six months of planning, Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) – Bulgaria’s largest trade union – launched a national campaign in partnership with two...

21 November 2016

Italy: national tourism sector collective agreement is signed

On 14 November, following more than three years of negotiations, the employers’ bodies, Federturismo Confindustria and Confindustria Alberghi, together with the trade union bodies, Filcams-Cgil...

16 November 2016

Qatar 2022: union experts to inspect World Cup football project sites

On 15 November the organization responsible for delivering the infrastructure required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), signed a Memorandum...

16 November 2016

United States: services union SEIU ordered to pay a company for damage to its reputation as a result of its unionization campaign

In September, a civil court jury ordered the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to pay $7.8 million to the Professional Janitorial Service of Houston (PJS), ruling the union was too...

15 November 2016

Verallia: agreement to put an EWC in place

On 23 September 2016, Verallia, a world leader in glass packaging and former Saint Gobain subsidiary (sold in 2015), concluded an agreement (subject to French law) that institutes a European Works...

15 November 2016

Germany: the DGB’s 2016 quality of work index shows digitalization is weighing heavily on workers

On Thursday 10 November the Confederation of German Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB) presented its annual ‘Gute Arbeit’ (Good Work) index, which pilloried the problems arising from...

14 November 2016

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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

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

Italy: new collective agreement for mechanical engineering and metalworking sectors focuses on defending purchasing power

The deal struck on 22 November between Italy’s social partners in the mechanical engineering and metalworking sector brings an end to a long and contentious bargaining process. The agreement –...

25 November 2025