News brief

Italy: Adecco signs the first agreement on partial unemployment for agency workers
signed with the trade unions an agreement on “derogatory social dampers” provided for in the anticrisis act (see our dispatch No. 090122) to the 77 agency workers of the Trelleborg...
EU: note on the European blue card directive
ng the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 18. It...
Germany: “Pact for apprenticeship” threatened by the crisis
“Pact for apprenticeship”(Ausbildungspakt) was created in 2004, the signatory parties – the federal government and the largest employers’ organizations (BDA, BID, DIHK and...
Austria: unions abandon the dogma of the 35 hour work week
gress (June 30 – July 2, 2009), the Confederation of Austrian Unions (ÖGB) wants to commit in favor of new working time reduction systems which don’t automatically imply wage...
Denmark: after revelations from the Danish TV, the Nordea bank promises a more ethical portfolio of investments
estments by pension funds (see our dispatch No. 080175), a program aired on June 2, 2009 denounces investments by three large Danish banks, notably in weapons. Nordea officially gave up...
24 June 2009
Netherlands: failing money, partial unemployment is out of service
d to cover partial unemployment in 2009 were spent in three months. Reimbursements are temporarily suspended. The social partners demand an extension of the system until 2010 with a...
EU: electricity social partners adopt a joint position on CSR
lectricity sector, Eurelectric for employers and EPSU and EMCEF for unions, signed, on June 22, a joint declaration on “the social aspects of corporate social responsibility in the European...
Italy: Fiat signs innovative agreement with union on better security at work
mproving health and safety at its factory, the Italian carmaker, Fiat, signed, on June 16, 2009, in Turin, with the sector’s unions Fim-Cisl, Fiom-CGIL, Uilm-Uil and Fismic an innovative...
L’Oréal: rider to the agreement establishing the EWC
cosmetics leader, the five French trade union organizations, the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation (EMCEF) and the European Federation of Managers in the Chemical and...
Great Britain: new wave of strikes at the Lindsey refinery
se in British refineries. In Lindsey, the French oil manufacturer Total laid off, on June 19, 2009, 900 workers on an illegal strike for a week to protest against the layoff of 51 of their...
Germany: new partial unemployment measures
loyment boom three months before the legislative elections, the grand coalition developed a new law strengthening the partial unemployment system. Adopted on a last reading on June 19, 2009 by the...
EU: Spain gets 2,7 million euros for laid off workers in the auto sector
s in the auto sector in Castile y Leon and Aragon will receive a payment from the European Globalization adjustment Fund to retrain and find a new job. On June 11, the Council of Ministers...
EU: European summit offers guarantees to Ireland and Jose Manuel Barroso
eld on June 18-19, the heads of States and governments of the Twenty-Seven validated the application of the current president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, to succeed to...
Germany: Bundestag adopts Act limiting managers’ pay
German heads of businesses will have to take into account the company’s long-term success. Their civil liability in case of neglected duties will also be increased. These are the main...
Finland: bill on the liberalization of opening shops on Sunday
signed by the Service Union United (PAM) and employers’ organizations in November 2008, the bill presented by Minister of Labor Tarja Cronberg (Greens), is aimed at opening shops on Sunday...
Italy: Fiat presents industrial plan to government and unions
2009-10 confirmed for all Italian undertakings: this is the industrial plan the carmaker presented to unions and local governments during the meeting on the group’s future in Italy...
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
EU: Omnibus Directive clears key milestone in European Parliament
On 13 October, the European Parliament’s position on the Omnibus Directive was approved by its Committee on Legal Affairs by 17 votes to six. Regarding due diligence rules, the report...
13 October 2025
2
mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
3
Italy: European pay transparency directive, a major step forward for businesses
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
4
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
5
Germany: EU pay transparency directive to force companies to ‘get tough’
Germany introduced a pay transparency law in 2017, meaning companies are already somewhat familiar with the issue. However, the broader scope and stricter requirements of the EU directive, the...
24 October 2025
6
Germany: ‘active retirement’ law adopted to encourage seniors to remain in the workforce
On 15 October, Germany’s cabinet approved draft legislation on ‘active retirement‘, which is expected to pass swiftly through Parliament. The bill would allow people who continue...