News brief

Great Britain: corporates can soon be held liable for employee fraud
On 18 April the UK House of Lords embarks on the committee stage in its consideration of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. This government-drafted bill is approaching its final...
18 April 2023
Mexico: Covid-19 added to list of occupational diseases
On 12 April, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed the addition of 88 new illnesses to the list of occupational diseases recognised by law, a list that has not been modified since...
17 April 2023
Hungary: whistleblower protection law finally passed
The Hungarian has parliament passed a law to protect whistleblowers, some 16 months after the deadline to comply with the provisions of EU Directive 2019/1937. With the law adopted on 11 April...
14 April 2023
EU: first consultation phase opens over revising EC European Works Council Directive
On 11 April the European Commission announced the launch of the first phase of consultation of European social partners on a revision of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive 2009/38. As a...
12 April 2023
Italy: Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Labour Inspectorate and the council of corporate social law consultants
On 29 March, the Labour Inspectorate (Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro (INL)) and the Council of the Order of Labour Consultants (a regulated profession of corporate-specialist social law...
11 April 2023
Spain: parents to be entitled to eight weeks of paid leave
A new parental leave allowance to be introduced in Spain will be paid, according to statements made by Joaquin Perez-Rey, the secretary of state for labour and social economy. The latest update...
7 April 2023
Luxembourg: gross minimum wage for skilled workers exceeds €3,000 from 1 April 2023
On 29 March, the Luxembourg Ministry of Social Security announced an increase in the minimum wage – taking effect from 1 April – in keeping with price rises in the Grand Duchy. In...
7 April 2023
United Kingdom: taskforce launched to tackle economic inactivity due to ill health
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of individuals in economic inactivity – particularly due to long-term health issues – has risen substantially in the UK, from 8.6 million in...
7 April 2023
Netherlands: Deliveroo delivery drivers are not self-employed (Supreme Court ruling)
In a ruling handed down on 24 March, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands dismissed Deliveroo’s appeal against a decision previously made by the Court of Appeal on 16 February 2021 that had...
6 April 2023
Germany: IG Metall seeking to negotiate a four-day week in the steel industry
Almost 40 years after the protracted strike action that gradually led to the introduction in 1995 of the 35-hour working week in the German metal industry, the IG Metall trade union has announced...
6 April 2023
United Kingdom: statutory minimum wage rises above £10 per hour
The UK’s National Living Wage, the country’s statutory minimum wage for people over the age of 23, has increased from £9.50 (€10.79) to £10.42 (€11.82) per hour...
4 April 2023
Great Britain: government review launched to ensure that legislation effectively protects whistleblowers
Over the course of the past several years, various associations have been calling for a reform of the “whistleblowing framework” in order to secure greater protection for...
30 March 2023
Italy: new fathers who resign from their jobs are entitled to unemployment insurance
In a circular dated 20 March 2023 the INPS (National Institute for Social Security) pension institute indicates it is opening eligibility for unemployment insurance (NASpI) to new fathers who have...
29 March 2023
France: Council of State prohibits recourse to voluntary departure plans in cases of termination of a business activity
On 21 March, France’s highest (Supreme) court for administrative justice handed down three decisions that further define and refine the jurisprudence surrounding the approval of redundancy...
29 March 2023
Belgium: temporary employment contracts can occur consecutively for a limited period of two years maximum
On 16 March 2023 Belgium’s Parliament approved a bill introducing new rules over fixed-term employment contracts (CDD) and replacement contracts. The bill follows a ruling by the...
29 March 2023
Great Britain: Ikea UK commits to improving its sexual harassment policy and practice
The UK subsidiary of the Swedish furniture giant (with approximately 11,700 UK employees) has just signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). This...
28 March 2023
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
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
3
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
4
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...