News brief

United Kingdom: government urges unions and employers to unite
The UK’s Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the annual meeting of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, south-east England, on 10 September. He was the first British head of...
11 September 2024
Netherlands: unions plan week of strikes in push to maintain the early retirement scheme
On 7 September, the Dutch trade unions FNV, CNV and VCP launched a week of strike action to reach an agreement with the government and employers on maintaining the Early Retirement Scheme (RVU)...
9 September 2024
Fashion retailer New Look commits to human rights due diligence measures
New Look and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) announced on August 27 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce due diligence measures for...
6 September 2024
Shein reveals two cases of child labour at its suppliers
Chinese ultra-low-cost fashion company Shein announced in its sustainability report, published on 22 August, that two cases of forced labour were detected at its suppliers in early 2023. It states...
4 September 2024
China: step taken towards a gradual increase in the retirement age
First mooted in 2013, the idea of raising the retirement age has taken a decisive step forward with the final decision of the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist...
3 September 2024
Czech Republic: minimum wage to rise by 10% in 2025
On 1 September, Czech labour and social affairs minister Marian Jurečka (Christian Democrats) announced a 10% increase in the country’s gross monthly minimum wage for next year. It will...
2 September 2024
Ireland: work permits law comes into force
The Employment Permits Act 2024, enacted on 25 June, comes into force on 2 September. The aim of the legislation is to introduce a more “modern, flexible” work permit system in...
H&M and industriALL Global Union bolster agreement on subcontracting practices
Nine years after a first agreement aimed at developing representation and collective relations among suppliers, H&M, the Swedish trade union IF Metall and the global federation industriALL...
29 August 2024
Australia: right to disconnect comes into force
On 26 August, six months after the enactment of changes to the Fair Work Act, the right to disconnect came into force in Australia. Employees will be legally entitled to refuse to respond when an...
28 August 2024
Spain: automatic dismissal due to permanent disability abolished
On 23 July, the Council of Ministers approved a bill abolishing the automatic termination of employment contracts in the event of an employee’s permanent disability being recognised. From...
27 August 2024
Daily briefing paused from 22 July to 26 August inclusive
mind RH team is taking time off to enjoy the summer break in Europe. Our news feed will recommence on the morning of 27 August. You can of course access all our previous articles, features and...
United Kingdom: union fails in bid for recognition at Amazon
The GMB union failed to secure a sufficient number of votes to officially represent staff at Amazon’s Coventry warehouses, which would have forced the American online retail giant to...
19 July 2024
EU: re-elected, Ursula von der Leyen unveils agenda for new term in office
On 18 July, the European Parliament approved Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for re-election as president of the European Commission until 2029, by 401 votes to 284. In her speech to MEPs...
United Kingdom: workers’ rights at the heart of the King’s speech
At the opening ceremony of the UK parliament this morning, King Charles III outlined in his speech the legislative programme of the new Labour government led by Keir Starmer. Several measures...
Germany: 11% of companies offer a four-day week
According to a survey carried out jointly by Randstad’s German subsidiary and the IfO Institute for Economic Research in Munich among a panel of 1,000 human resources managers, one German...
17 July 2024
Malta: new law on health and safety at work imposes tougher penalties for violations
On 15 July, Malta’s parliament unanimously adopted a bill on health and safety at work. Described as “revolutionary” by Prime Minister Robert Abela (Labour Party), the bill aims...
16 July 2024
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
Italy: decree-law adopted to increase workplace safety
On 28 October, the Italian cabinet adopted a decree-law on health and safety at work, aimed at preventing and reducing accidents. The text addresses both the powers and actions of supervisory...
4 November 2025
2
Spain: already well on the way to pay transparency?
Spain is preparing for the implementation of its national law transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which will take effect on 7 June 2026. The legislation marks another step forward in...
5 November 2025
3
Romania: parents of children with disabilities granted up to eight days of remote work per month
On 9 October, the Romanian parliament adopted a bill aiming to bolster support for parents of children with disabilities up to the age of 18. The legislation, which came into force on 12 October...
4
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...
5
EU: Court of Justice largely upholds directive on adequate minimum wages
On 11 November, the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld most of the directive on adequate minimum wages, rejecting Denmark’s claim that it infringed on national sovereignty over wage...
12 November 2025
6
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