News brief

Lithuania: controversy over the right to strike
ike at the biggest beer manufacturer in Lithuania, “Švyturys-Utenos Alus,” revived the debate on the right to strike, very strictly supervised in the country. (Ref. 110561)...
Netherlands: employers reject “systematic” wage increases in collective agreements
.5% wage increase in 2012 and employers say it is too much. They are criticizing this trend of “systematic” increases. (Ref. 110562) One of the biggest members of the Confederation of...
Great Britain: Fujitsu staff repeatedly on strike
technology (IT) services company, Fujitsu, has experienced two recent industrial disputes. While the second conflict continues, with Unite blaming the company for failure to comply with collective...
EU: home stretch for the creation of European and international manufacturing federations
ake place on May 16, 2012 for the European federation and on June 19-20 for the international organization. (Ref. 110559) Regional structure. The merger of European manufacturing union federations...
20 September 2011
Great Britain: government publishes guide to help businesses improve gender equality
aunched by Minister for Women and Equality, Theresa May, is to encourage businesses to publish progress made in terms of professional equality. The “Think, Act, Report” report...
Umicore: international framework agreement renewed
n metal maker, the representatives of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) and of the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF)...
Netherlands: pension reform adopted but divides the FNV federation
g retirement age from 65 to 66 in 2020 and then to 67 in 2025 – received the support of a majority of MPs on September 16th, with the help of the labor party, the traditional ally of the...
20 September 2011
Sodexo: after the deal reached in the US, SEIU union drops opinion campaign against the French catering company
he French catering company and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) reached, at the end of last week, an agreement putting an end to several months of dispute. The American union...
United States: General Motors and UAW sign first Big Three pay agreement
) just ended its first bargaining round with the Big Three, after reaching a pay deal with General Motors on the night of Friday, September 16th. The agreement was signed for four years and...
EU: paid annual leave to include financial compensation linked intrinsically to the performance of tasks which the worker is required to carry out
tember 15th, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) defined, for the first time, Community rules regarding the definition of the salary which will serve as a basis for calculating paid...
Germany: 2010 collective bargaining schedule
are almost over, with a few major sessions left by the end of the year in the rubber industry, paper industry and, most importantly, steel industry in November. Long-awaited, the outcome of...
Great Britain: ongoing negotiations in London transport to avoid a strike during the Olympics
ground strike by train drivers during next year’s Olympics Games appears to have abated after senior managers claimed to have reached a deal with train drivers’ unions, Aslef and the...
EU: gas sectoral social dialogue committee wants to contribute to the Europe Energy Policy
in the gas industry met, on September 12th, for a sectoral social dialogue meeting. The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy...
Spain: Parliament ratifies last Labor Market Reform Act
ament validated a new chapter of the Labor reform. The decree contains a series of emergency measures encouraging youth employment, prolongs the EUR 400 subsidy for jobseekers about to lose their...
Germany: IG-Metall union starts next Congress with more and younger members
four-year Congress, on October 9-15, 2011, the management of the Metalworkers’ Union Federation is starting to leak the first elements of its evaluation. For the biggest sectoral union in...
Italy: measures of the budget austerity plan affecting the social sphere
e since the beginning of the Berlusconi administration, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved the new budget austerity plan last night (September 14th). The law aims to save over EUR 53M in...
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.
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United Kingdom: government urged to legislate against forced labour
After consulting victims, businesses and NGOs, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) has published a report showing that the UK is lagging behind in the fight against forced labour. The...
13 January 2026
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EU: European Parliament calls for a directive on just transition
On 20 January, MEPs approved, with 420 votes in favour, an own-initiative report calling for a just transition directive. The text calls for the protection of workers to be guaranteed in the...
20 January 2026