News brief

Italy: government kicks off transposition of EU Pay Transparency Directive
On 5 February, the Italian government approved legislation transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, designed to tackle gender pay discrimination — a particularly acute issue in Italy. The...
10 February 2026
Romania: government imposes strict controls on labour immigration
On 26 January, the Romanian government adopted an emergency ordinance tightening the rules on the recruitment of foreign workers. The measure introduces an official list of labour shortage...
Germany: standoff over national plan to boost collective bargaining
Under the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, Germany is required to produce an action plan to boost collective bargaining coverage. That plan has stalled, however, after being blocked by the...
9 February 2026
France: Medef publishes guide to support career transitions and retraining
France's largest employer federation Medef has provided its regional representatives with a practical guide designed to support career transitions and retraining. Structured around three key tools...
6 February 2026
EU: Commission wants to facilitate entry of international ‘talent’
In a recommendation published on 29 January, the European Commission calls on member states to take a series of measures to attract and retain international talent. It targets holders of skilled...
France: social partners’ conference on work, employment, and retirement sets out roadmap
Until the summer, French social partners from both the private and public sectors will hold talks on labour, employment and pensions, with the aim of developing shared positions to inform public...
ENI incorporates just transition and AI into global agreement
On 13 January, Italian energy group ENI renewed its global agreement on international industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and the just transition with Italian unions CGIL, CISL...
5 February 2026
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
Argentina: labour law reform debate kicks off
Argentina’s Congress has begun debating President Javier Milei’s highly contentious labour reform package, which includes proposals to scrap overtime pay, curb the right to strike and give...
3 February 2026
France: Uber ordered to pay €1.7 billion for undeclared work
According to the publication Revue21, the employer contributions collection agency (URSSAF) has sent a 142-page document to the ride-hailing platform Uber demanding the sum of €1.7 billion...
2 February 2026
France: ‘bonus-malus’ system central to talks over short-term contracts
French social partners opened talks on 28 January 2026 on the regulation of short-term contracts, marking the start of a negotiating process set to continue with three further meetings in March...
29 January 2026
France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules
Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.
Finland: transposition of EU Pay Transparency Directive subject to consultation
On 22 December 2025, the Finnish government launched a consultation (for which opinions will be made public) on its draft bill transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which will run until 9...
28 January 2026
France: Acorus makes four-day week permanent
On 12 December, French construction and civil engineering group Acorus (approximately 1,800 employees) signed an agreement with representative trade unions on the implementation of a four-day...
28 January 2026
Inditex signs joint declaration with EWC on older workers
After mobilising in November against its management over value sharing, the European works council of the Inditex fashion group (162,000 employees worldwide) signed a joint declaration with the...
27 January 2026
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
Ireland: minimum wage increase of 5,6% from 1 January 2027
The info. The Irish government has included a minimum wage increase of 79 cents in its Budget 2027, in line with recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. The rate will rise from €14.15...
2
Portugal: parental leave of up to six months paid at 100% from 2027 
The news. On 19 October, the Portuguese Parliament adopted a bill extending the duration of parental leave and the period for which benefits are paid. From 1 January 2027, leave will increase from...
3
China: draft bill to strengthen platform workers’ rights
On 8 October, the Chinese government published a draft bill open for consultation aimed at providing minimum guarantees to non-employee platform workers in terms of pay and working conditions. The...
23 October 2026
4
Is a global wage freeze at Volkswagen possible?
The existence of an option to implement a global wage freeze until 2030 has been confirmed by the management of the German group Volkswagen, which nevertheless provides no details and refers to...
20 October 2026
5
Spain: metal industry employers cut sick pay top-ups
To curb absenteeism, Spanish social partners in the metal sector are introducing new clauses into regional collective agreements to reduce the top-up payments made by employers during sick leave...
2 November 2026
6
Croatia: 7.6% minimum wage increase from 1 January 2027
The news. On 29 October, the Croatian Council of Ministers adopted a decree setting the minimum wage for 2027. This will rise from €1,050 to €1,130 gross per month from 1 January next...