News brief

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...
Austria: government announces measures to support employment and businesses
Arbeitsmarktpaket II), presented to the European Parliament on June 18, 2009, removes businesses’ contributions after the 7th month of partial unemployment. The maximum limit of this system...
Great Britain: British Airways asks staff to work for free for up to a month
d over 30,000 employees to take unpaid leave or work for free for one week up to one month to help the company survive, after it lost 401 million pounds (471 million euros) in one year. (Ref...
Netherlands: pension funds in the red zone
of the Netherlands announced that about twenty pension funds will have no other choice but to reduce their members’ payments next year. The government already left businesses free to leave...
Portugal: employees at Volkswagen Autoeuropa’s Palmela factory reject the flexibility agreement
europa’s Palmela factory, near Lisbon, rejected – with 51.6% of the votes – the new company agreement introducing more flexible working time. This brings back the spectrum of...
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
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
2
Greece: hospitality sector signs first collective agreement aligned with National Social Pact
The hospitality sector (125,000 employees), one of Greece’s largest industries after retail, signed a new two-year collective agreement on 17 March. The text, effective from 1 April 2026...
3
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
4
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
5
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
6
Germany: a wave of redundancy plans in the automotive sector
The latest financial results presented in early 2026 by major German car manufacturers show sharp declines. This collapse in profits has triggered the announcement or confirmation of massive job...
16 March 2026