News brief

Brazil: several metalworkers’ and mining unions accept wage reductions to save jobs
jobs, more and more unions sign agreements with businesses to reduce wages. The phenomenon, coming at a time when the government announced a 12% minimum wage increase, particularly concerns the...
EU: the 27 open timid discussions on maternity leave
U27 opened, on Tuesday, February 3, discussions for the revision of the directive on the protection of pregnant women, the main measure being to extend the maternity leave from 14 to 18 weeks...
France: the social partners unanimously sign the national interprofessional agreement on vocational training
anizations involved in the negotiation process since September 2008 (CFTC, CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT-FO, CGT) as well as the Medef, CGPME and UPA for employers committed to sign the interprofessional...
Netherlands: working time reduction hardly extended
cial Affairs rejected half of the 90 requests for the extension of working time (Werktijdverkorting – WTV) sent by businesses after the first six weeks to which they were entitled. (Ref...
EU: the European Trade Union Confederation revives the debate on posted workers
y factory (see our dispatch No. 090112) in Great Britain revived the debate on posted workers. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called, on Monday, February 2, for the adoption of new...
Netherlands: more flexible procedures facilitate the entry of highly-skilled workers
ts entering the Netherlands come from India, the United States and China, respectively 3.000, 1.850 and 1.170 people since January 1, 2007. These foreigners met the Dutch immigration...
United States: President Obama’s first measures for working conditions and union rights
lated by the Bush administration, American unions’ influence and members have considerably decreased in the last eight years. A few months ago, they put their faith in Barack Obama, and...
Luxembourg: linguistic leave to be enforced soon
anently adopted, on January 21, 2009, the law concerning the introduction of a linguistic leave to enable all employees, from all countries, provided they have been working for the same employer...
Luxembourg: new law amends partial unemployment
mber of Deputies adopted a law amending the partial unemployment system. This text, enforced on January 1, 2009, is aimed at improving this method for businesses, notably to make it more efficient...
Belgium: the federation of technology firms demands extension of partial unemployment to workers
nt position of the president of the Federation of Entreprises in Belgium (FEB) in favor of the extension of partial unemployment to “employees” and no longer reserved for...
Germany: Deutsche Bahn denies spying on 173.000 employees
of corruption at the Deutsche Bahn (German railway) admitted that his company hired a private investigator firm to control, undercover and with a preventive purpose, the “personal...
Poland: the social partners are divided on solutions to face the crisis
te meeting (unions, employers, government) the social partners endeavored to find a compromise on the solutions for confronting the economic crisis. The discussions broke down concerning the...
EU: the Parliament’s Employment Committee adopted the own-initiative report on the transposition of the directive on information and consultation
mmittee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted, on January 21, the own-initiative report on application of Directive 2002/14 establishing a general framework for informing and consulting...
Argentina/Mexico: a Manpower survey shows gloomy outlook for employment
resees a sharp drop in hiring during the first 2009 quarter in the two countries, which figure among the principal economic motors of Latin America. Only a very small percentage of Argentinean...
Switzerland: precedent-setting shareholder advisory vote on executive pay
ies (Nestle, UBS and Credit Suisse) have voluntarily agreed to stage a so-called “shareholder advisory vote”, in which the shareholders will accept or reject the companies’...
28 January 2009
Argentina: Renault to maintain the 1.250 jobs of its Cordoba factory
ised to maintain employment until mid2009 in its Argentinean factory. Other car makers reached agreements with their staff to temporarily suspend work and reduce wages to keep jobs in the...
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