News brief

Germany: 800.000 employees regularly take drugs to improve their performances at work
study presented in early February 2009 by the Deutsche Angestellte Krankenkasse (DAK), one of the biggest health insurance funds in Germany – mostly focuses on the issue of...
Poland: the social partners seek solutions to the crisis
nts (see our dispatch No. 090103), the social partners are determined to curb the negative impact of the economic crisis: many bilateral (unions-employers) and trilateral...
Belgium: Flanders opposed to simpler employment subsidies to protect seniors
tly voted a conflict of interest motion which suspends the federal legal procedure and opens a long consultation phase against the simplification of employment subsidies. This simplification...
Portugal: new labor code enforced
e and Parliamentary debates, the new Portuguese Labor Code, reforming the 2003 version, came into force on February 17, 2009. However, union and ideological opposition is still strong. (Ref...
Denmark: the social partners demand a flexible partial unemployment system to face the crisis
nt has soared since the crisis began. However, unions and employers think that the system is still too strict. They asked the Minister of Labor to make it more flexible, but he doesn’t seem...
France: key employment measures announced at the social summit
h gathered the social partners at the Elysée on Wednesday, February 18, Nicolas Sarkozy presented a series of measures to protect employees from the crisis and support the most humble...
Faber Castell: revised international framework agreement
s’ International (BWI), the IG Metall German union and the management of the German group Faber Castell revised the international framework agreement (IFA) of March 3, 2000 to improve the...
Germany: daily publishes the pay of major German union managers
‘ pay and bonuses is raging, Munich’s Suddeutsche Zeitung daily (February 18) decided to publish the salary of the main union leaders in the country. However, only the leaders of...
Austria: union concentration goes on with the creation of “pro.ge”, a “production union”
metalworkers’ union (GMTN), the chemistry union (GdC) and wood and building workers’ union (GBH), the “pro.ge” interunion alliance is going to become a full-fledged union...
EU: the first conciliation meeting on the revision of the working time directive failed
n the revision of the working time directive started on the evening of Wednesday February 18 between the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of EU Ministers, in the presence of the European...
General Motors Europe: toward the creation of an independent European structure?
restructuring plan of General Motors (GM) on the verge of bankruptcy, to the American government, the management of the European subsidiary, General Motors Europe, and the European Works Council...
Spain: the social partners denounce the void of the integral support plan for the automotive sector
zation regret the lack of content of a plan prepared by the Ministry of Industry without consulting the major role players of the auto sector. They think that this plan won’t help the sector...
Brazil: temporary extension of unemployment insurance
ided to temporarily extend unemployment insurance for workers dismissed in some sectors badly hit by the crisis. Those workers will receive unemployment benefits for seven months instead of five...
EU: the social partners of the textile, clothing, leather and footwear adopt their work program
ral social dialogue committees of the textile-clothing, leather and footwear sectors adopted their work programs for 2009. Anticipating industrial change is at the heart of the textile-clothing...
Portugal: parental leave reform encourages fathers share the leave with mothers
ree-law reforming parental leave. The new law translates a will to better divide the leave between the two parents and start turning maternity leave into parental leave. (Ref. 090176) Share leaves...
Bosch: the European trade union coordination group of the brakes division mobilizes to anticipate coming restructurings
of Bosch brakes division, affiliated with the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF) organized, on Monday, February 16, a European day of action. This initiative was aimed at...