News brief

Tools: overview of union claims in 2010 in some France’s neighboring countries
l year for collective bargaining. Caution is still necessary for employers, while for the trade unions, even though safeguarding employment remains a priority, it is important that employees...
Sweden: Ericsson announces nearly 1,000 layoffs in its Gävle plant and opens talks with unions
n announced more layoffs, this time on the Gävle and Boras plants, following the leave program developed and implemented in 2009 for the Stockholm, Huldiksvall, Karlskrona and Lulea sites...
Great Britain: code of practice on time off for union representatives
code of practice on union representatives’ time off for union activities was enforced. This code, made by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), updates the initial 2003...
Germany: hardly launched, the new “ELENA” workers’ database sparks off controversy
e ever made in Germany was launched on January 1. In accordance with the “Law on the ELENA process” of March 28, 2009, all businesses have to give a central organization, once a month...
EU: report points to energy EWCs’ poor participation in CSR policies
ed out by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the Social Development Agency (SDA) entitled “Learning and EWC practices in the European Energy Sector,” a study...
5 January 2010
Germany: employers call for wage moderation for 2010 collective bargaining
year, which should be punctuated by no less than 84 collective negotiations affecting about 9.4 million employees in different sectors, a growing number of businesses and economic experts are in...
Denmark: negotiations for the renewal of CCN in the private sector could be contentious
g to have to make special efforts to avoid the social conflicts which might arise from the renegotiation of collective agreements. This is what comes out of an analysis carried out by the Labor...
Netherlands: debate on arduous work and retirement at 67
vernment declined a proposal presented by unions and employers to allow low-income workers to escape retirement at 67 as provided by the reform in the offing. Unions think this income limit is a...
Sweden: services get a cooperation agreement (samarbetsvatal)
ions, and like the industry, services just got a cooperation agreement (samarbetsvatal) signed between Unionen (union of private sector employees), Sveriges Ingenjorer (engineering union), Jusek...
Portugal: government imposes 475 euros minimum wage in 2010 in spite of employers’ opposition
ings, the Portuguese government decided to impose a 25 euros increase for national minimum wage (SMN), bringing it from 450 up to 475 euros a month. This decision is in line with the agreements...
Luxembourg: State Council gives lukewarm consent to the draft amendment of posting provisions
ropean Court of Justice on September 13, 2007 (Case C-319/06) condemning Luxembourg for failing to respect Directive 96/71 on the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services...
Italy: banking social partners sign agreement reviving the sector’s “solidarity fund”
mber 16 by the banking social partners improves social protection of employees affected by the crisis who aren’t entitled to social dampers. To that end, a new unit of the sector’s...
Germany: metal social partners sign “crisis agreement” on worker exchange in North Rhine-Westphalia
egional federation in North Rhine-Westphalia signed an agreement with the region’s five sectoral employers’ organizations to allow leasing employees between businesses. This crisis...
Netherlands: TNT Post competitors fight about working conditions
e government refused more flexible labor market conditions to Sandd and Selekt Mail, rivals of former national post TNT Post. Sandd sued the State to cancel the September ordinance which imposes...
Austria: trade workers will get a 1.5% wage increase on January 1, 2010
November for the 570,000 employees (Angestellte) in trade was used for workers (Arbeiter) in the sector (storekeepers, drivers…), i.e. about 100,000 people. Unlike the agreement for...
Great Britain: government improves support to youth employment and the fight against long-term unemployment
government published a white paper to fight against the impact of the recession on employment. It notably provides for a subsidy of 2,500 pounds for employers taking on 16-17-year-old apprentices;...
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
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
3
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
4
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...