Exclusif How Syensqo (formerly Solvay) oversaw AI deployment through international social dialogue Transnational industrial relations After becoming a European company in April 2009 (see our dispatch No. 090353), the MAN SE multinational company (€16.5 billion in sales in 2011), which has its headquarters in Munich, employees nearly 52,500 people worldwide. Now, these people will be protected by an international framework agreement* negotiated by MAN management and WC as well as the IMF. “The international framework agreement is going to help workers and those who defend their interests to intervene themselves to improve their working conditions” rejoiced Jürgen Dorn, chairman of MAN’s EWC, in a joint declaration. However, the agreement should also be good for the company. “A company can only be successful based on shared values and mutual respect” Jörg Schwitalla, MAN SE Director of Personnel, added.
EU: social partners in chemicals industry commit to improving working conditions for migrant workers Transnational industrial relations On 30 June, the European social partners in the chemical industry, the European Chemical Employers Group and the trade union IndustriAll Europe, signed a joint declaration to combat bad practices affecting third-country workers in supply chains.…
First European health and safety agreement signed at Clariane Transnational industrial relations On 26 June, French retirement home group Clariane signed a health and safety agreement with its European Works Council and the European Federation of Public Service Unions. The agreement extends a protocol signed in 2021 and incorporates mental health into the text that serves as a framework for the group's national subsidiaries in Europe. Mathilde Tabary, the company's director of social relations, told mind RH about the challenges of implementing the agreement.
ArcelorMittal’s European Works Council protests company’s redundancy plan Transnational industrial relations The elected representatives of the European Works Council (EWC) of steel giant ArcelorMittal, which employs 48,500 people in Europe, gathered on 21 May in front of the company’s headquarters in Luxembourg.…
Confidentiel [mind RH news] Veolia strikes European agreement on diversity and inclusion Transnational industrial relations Veolia, the French multinational providing water, energy and waste recycling management services, is to sign a European framework agreement on diversity and inclusion with the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It will create a right to paid leave in cases of domestic violence and commits the group to LGBTQ+ rights. The agreement comes as Veolia adjusts to the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and comes at a time when large international companies are renouncing their policies in these areas under pressure from the Trump administration.
EU: construction industry social partners sign a joint declaration addressing labour shortage Transnational industrial relations On 05 March, the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), published a joint declaration on the construction sector’s ongoing labour and skills shortages.…
EU: Pact for Social Dialogue signed Transnational industrial relations On 5 March, the main European trade union and employers’ organisations (ETUC, BusinessEurope, SMEUnited and SGI Europe) signed a Pact for Social Dialogue with the European Commission, in accordance with the promise of its president.…
EU: ETUC calls on judges to confirm validity of minimum wage directive Transnational industrial relations The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has published a counter-opinion to the conclusions of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, presented on 14 January 2025, which proposed the annulment of the directive on adequate minimum wages. The unions consider that the latter has committed an error of law. They are asking the Court of Justice of the EU to reject his opinion and to maintain the text in its entirety.
How EDF plans to implement global CSR agreement Transnational industrial relations French energy company EDF reached a new global agreement on corporate social responsibility at the end of January, covering the period 2025-2030. Signed unanimously by the trade unions, it covers issues surrounding the ecological and digital transitions, provides for a study on a living wage and strengthens the agreement's governance. Mind RH has spoken to the different parties to gauge their ambitions, at a time when CSR is being called into question, as well as the challenges of its deployment.
Safran establishes European social base for superior work-life balance Transnational industrial relations On 17 February, the management of Safran and the IndustriALL Europe trade union signed a European framework agreement for a better work-life balance. This text, applicable for a period of five years, establishes a common social base for its 60,000 employees in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom. Its objective is to build a supportive framework that facilitates parenthood and providing care to relatives.
