News brief

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
Clariane’s European Works Council signs a charter on the group’s decarbonisation
On 20 November, Clariane’s European Works Council and its management signed a ‘Charter to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions’ for the group of retirement...
26 January 2026
Germany: Chancellor prepares ground for working time law reform
Since mid-January 2026, senior figures in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reopened debate over Germany’s working time legislation. The party’s...
26 January 2026
EU: Cyprus unveils its six-month presidency programme
Cyprus has set out its priorities for its six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. On the social front, the centre-right government will focus on the Union of Skills, which aims to boost...
France: BPCE signs first agreement for staff providing care
On 12 January, French banking group BPCE signed its first agreement with all representative trade unions for employees providing care. Valid for three years, the agreement covers BPCE’s...
23 January 2026
Germany: chancellor takes aim at sick notes issued after remote consultation
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz courted controversy at an election rally last weekend after criticising what he described as an “excessively high” level of absenteeism, pointing to...
22 January 2026
France: Accor grants two days of paid leave to victims of gender-based and sexual violence
The Accor hotel group and representative trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality on 18 December 2025, valid for four years and applicable in France, where the company has 5,000...
22 January 2026
France: transposition of the pay transparency directive takes shape
The transposition of the European directive on pay transparency into French law is entering a decisive phase. The Minister of Labour, Jean-Pierre Farandou, wants to present the bill to Parliament...
21 January 2026
France: 2026 budget expected to maintain employer contribution relief
On 19 January 2026, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu decided to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass France's 2026 budget without a vote in the National Assembly. Three days...
EU: European Parliament calls for a directive on just transition
On 20 January, MEPs approved, with 420 votes in favour, an own-initiative report calling for a just transition directive. The text calls for the protection of workers to be guaranteed in the...
20 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
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
2
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
3
Greece: hospitality sector signs first collective agreement aligned with National Social Pact
The hospitality sector (125,000 employees), one of Greece’s largest industries after retail, signed a new two-year collective agreement on 17 March. The text, effective from 1 April 2026...
4
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
5
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
6
Germany: a wave of redundancy plans in the automotive sector
The latest financial results presented in early 2026 by major German car manufacturers show sharp declines. This collapse in profits has triggered the announcement or confirmation of massive job...
16 March 2026