Poland: state-backed reduced working hours trial launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 21 June the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) confirmed that it had filed a complaint against Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes Benz, accusing them of failing to exercise their due diligence obligations vis-à-vis their Chinese subcontractors. The NGO is drawing material for the complaint from reports indicating human rights violations against the Uyghur people living in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR - a province within the People's Republic of China (PRC)). This is the first time in Germany that a complaint has invoked the German ‘Supply Chain Due Diligence Act’ (LkSG), which came into force on 01 January 2023.
UN agencies publish guidelines to protect workers from heat Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 22 August, the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization released a joint report highlighting the rising risks that heat poses to workers amid climate change.…
France: national campaign for employment of older workers launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 29 April, the French labour ministry organised a major conference on the employment of workers aged 50 and over in the country. This initiative marks the start of a national campaign to change practices, legislation and attitudes towards older workers.
Global trade union skills centre launched on due diligence obligations Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 19 March, the global union confederations UNI Global Union (services) and IndustriAll (industry/energy), together with the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a political foundation of the German Social Democratic Party, announced the creation of a skills centre to "strengthen workers’ rights through human rights due diligence laws". The team is currently being set up and is expected to start work at the end of 2025.
Germany: complaint filed against Edeka over lack of social and environmental due diligence in Guatemala Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Two NGOs filed a complaint at the end of February against Edeka, one of Germany's leading retail chains (approximately 400,000 employees in 11,000 stores), with the country's Federal Office of Economics and Export Control. The accusation is based on the German supply chain due diligence act and concerns a series of social, human rights and environmental offenses by an indirect supplier of the German brand.
Netherlands: Facebook promotes gender inequality according to the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights ruled on 18 February that Meta, the owner of Facebook, reinforces gender stereotypes through its algorithm for promoting job offers.…
Italy: Confindustria proposes plan for workers’ housing Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Employers’ organisation Confindustria intends to harness public and private partnerships to launch a major housing construction and repurposing plan with the aim of addressing,…
India: labour ministry and Amazon strike agreement to promote employment Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Recruitment/Employer branding/employee loyalty The US e-commerce giant and India's labour and employment ministry have signed an agreement to combat the mismatch between supply and demand in the field of employment. Amazon will now publish all its job vacancies on the government's recruitment portal, through which it will also be able to search for candidates.
G7 labour ministers agree action plan for trusted, human-centred AI Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Following their meeting in Italy from September 11 to 13, the G7 labour and employment ministers signed a joint declaration focusing on artificial intelligence. The declaration contains an action plan proposing ways to increase the potential and limit the risks of artificial intelligence in terms of training, social dialogue, automation and health and safety.
ILO reaches first agreement on issue of living wages Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 13 March, the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization approved an agreement on the issue of living wages, reached during a meeting of experts,…
