News brief

Spain: agreement between the Basque regional administration and the social partners in support of the Industry 4.0 transition process
The Basque Region’s government together with the employers’ body Confebask and the CCO and UGT trade unions have agreed to prepare a support plan for those affected by technological...
7 February 2020
France: Novartis establishes 16-weeks of paid parental leave, starting 01 January 2020
Employees at the pharmaceutical company’s French subsidiary are set to receive an extra two weeks of paid parental leave above and beyond the standard minimum duration as required in the...
Great Britain: ethnic under-representation is evident in more than a 1/3 of big company management boards
Management boards in 37% of the FTSE 100 listed companies (in terms of market capitalization) have no seats occupied by members of ethnic minority groups. This percentage rises to 59% for the...
6 February 2020
France: 105 businesses commit to awarding a minimum of one month paid leave for second parents
An opinion piece published in the 05 February edition of the daily economics publication Les Echos (here) indicates that 105 companies (primarily in the tech, organic, and sustainable development...
Hungary: Diageo introduces 26 weeks paternity leave
Fathers in Hungary can avail of five-days of paid statutory leave following the birth of a child. This leave can be taken whole or in several parts but must be used before the child is two months...
5 February 2020
Canada: class action brought against Hershey’s for misleading claims made regarding child labor in their cocoa supply chains
On 20 January, a Canadian consumer filed a class action lawsuit in the British Columbia Supreme Court against Hershey Canada Inc. and its parent establishments denouncing the fact the...
5 February 2020
Turkey: wage agreement for 130,000 workers in metal industry (update following endorsement by the Birleşik Metal-İş trade union)
On 29 January, after a period of tough negotiations punctuated by strikes, the Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS) reached an agreement on wages with the Turk Metal and...
4 February 2020
Great Britain: government unveils incomes outlook for university graduates
On 23 January and in a first, the UK government published new data that will enable students to look at their prospects for earnings from each university. The numbers (here), allow prospective...
31 January 2020
Italy: the Conte government launches a reflection on pensions
“Consultation is necessary to arrive at a shared proposal on reforming the pension system that can guarantee greater flexibility for exiting” the world of work, announced Labor...
30 January 2020
EU: European Commission presents its 2020 work programme
On 29 January the European Commission adopted its 2020 Work Programme that sets out the key actions and initiatives intended to translate President von de Leyen’s policy agenda into action...
29 January 2020
Belgium: national demonstration to protect the country’s social security
The FGTB union along with its Flemish equivalent the ABVV called for a demonstration on 28 January in support of balanced funding for country’s social security system and in Brussels...
29 January 2020
Great Britain: unlimited visas for top scientists after Brexit
On 27 January, the UK’s Conservative-led government announced that after Brexit, the world’s top scientists, researchers, and mathematicians will be given fast-tracked entry to the...
28 January 2020
France: government adopts draft legislation reforming the country’s pension schemes
On 24 January, against a backdrop of mobilization by several of the country’s trade unions (the next inter-professional strike is scheduled for Wednesday 29 January), the French Government...
27 January 2020
South Korea: men increasingly utilise paternity leave entitlement
The number of male employees in South Korea taking paternity leave reached a new record in 2019, which observers say demonstrates more widespread aspirations in the country to achieve a good...
24 January 2020
United Kingdom: creation of a legal right to paid leave for bereaved parents
From 6 April, any UK parent who loses a child under the age of 18 will be entitled to two weeks of leave. The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations, known as “Jack’s...
24 January 2020
Italy : salaries and bonuses are the main theme in company agreements
The second report (here) on second level collective negotiations undertaken by the Cgil trade union together with the Fondazione Di Vittorio, which studied 1,887 agreements signed between 2017 and...
23 January 2020
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
2
Germany: IG Metall demands 5% pay rise amid severe pressure
Despite the crisis hitting the automotive industry, the leadership of the German trade union IG Metall announced on Wednesday 23 September that it would be asking for a 5% pay increase as well as...
23 September 2026
3
Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
4
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
5
Slovakia: 6% increase in the minimum wage from 1 January 2027
The news. As Slovakia’s social partners failed to reach an agreement during tripartite negotiations, Labour Minister Erik Tomas has decided to increase the minimum wage by 6% from 1 January...
1 September 2026
6
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 2026