News brief

EU: international groups join unions and NGOs in calling for an ambitious corporate sustainability due diligence directive
In a joint call published on 11 December, several international industrial groups (L’Oréal, Unilever, Scania, Ericsson, Ikea, Novo Nordisk and Maersk) have joined forces with European...
11 December 2023
New Zealand: trial period extended to 90 days for all employers
On 11 December labour relations minister Brooke Van Velden introduced a bill allowing all employers to extend the trial period for new recruits to a maximum of 90 days. Until now, this...
11 December 2023
France: order transposing CSRD directive published
An order was published in France’s official journal on 7 December to transpose into domestic law the corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD), which is due to come into force in...
8 December 2023
Australia: law passed to guarantee equal treatment for temporary workers and salaried employees
On December 7, the Australian parliament passed the ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ bill. The aim of the bill is to ensure that workers hired through a temporary employment agency during a...
8 December 2023
Italy: Lamborghini introduces a four-day week at its plants
On 5 December, after a year of negotiations, the management at Automobili Lamborghini and the FIOM CGIL and FIM CISL trade unions signed a new company agreement for the years 2023-2026, focusing...
7 December 2023
Mexico: teleworking regulations come into force
The new regulation on teleworking, published in Mexico’s official gazette on 8 June, came into force on 5 December. It applies to companies with employees who do at least 40% of their work...
6 December 2023
United Kingdom: government seeks to restrict entry of skilled foreign workers
On 4 December, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly announced to Parliament that the rules for obtaining a skilled worker visa would be tightened. The minimum wage required will rise from...
EU: steel industry social partners commit to sustainable transition
In a joint statement, the social partners – industriAll Europe and the European Steel Association (Eurofer,) which represents virtually the entire European steel industry – have...
30 November 2023
Nearly 15% of employees use generative AI at work without their employer’s permission (study)
A survey of over 14,000 employees worldwide (across 14 countries) by software company Salesforce reveals that more than a quarter (28%) are using generative AI at work, and more than half are...
29 November 2023
Cyprus: bill to prevent long hours of work in a standing position
On 28 November, the labour committee of Cyprus’ House of Representatives approved a bill amending the country’s workplace health and safety act (Article 27). The text tabled by the...
29 November 2023
EU: Commission to retake control over telework
After negotiations came to a definitive halt on 27 November, the European Trade Union Confederation is calling on the Commission to propose a legislative initiative. Esther Lynch, the...
28 November 2023
France: Lidl trials the four-day week in shops
Lidl has revealed in a press release that, since September, it has been trialling new ways of organising work in its supermarkets in order to promote a better work-life balance and attract talent...
28 November 2023
Canada: bill tabled to ban replacement of workers on strike
On 9 November, the Canadian government tabled a bill in the House of Commons prohibiting employers from using replacement workers during strikes or lockouts. Fines of up to $100,000 per day could...
27 November 2023
United States: White House wants to set up workers’ rights diplomacy
On 16 November, the US Presidency published an action plan designed to protect and strengthen workers’ rights at home and abroad. In this memorandum, the Biden administration calls on...
24 November 2023
Axa signs worldwide charter to promote role of older workers
On 16 November, Axa’s European Works Council (CEG Axa) and Thomas Buberl, CEO of the insurance group, signed a charter aimed at enhancing the role and position of employees aged over 50...
23 November 2023
Germany: bill adopted to provide a better framework for remuneration of works council members
On 1 November, Germany’s federal government adopted a bill designed to clarify the remuneration of works council members, which until now has been determined mainly by case law. The bill...
22 November 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
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
3
France: Bayer puts female health and inclusive parenthood at the centre of its equality policy
In a new agreement on gender equality highlighted by mind RH, Bayer commits to strengthening its parenthood policy. Furthermore, the company is anticipating pay transparency and introducing...
25 September 2026
4
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Germany: major day of union action in the automotive industry ahead of collective bargaining
A few weeks before the start of collective bargaining in the German metalworking sector, the IG Metall trade union mobilised nearly 175,000 workers across more than 200 industrial sites on 21...
22 September 2026