News brief

Italy: 3,500 early retirements planned at bank Monte dei Paschi this year
Troubled Italian banking group Monte dei Paschi di Siena signed an agreement on 4 August with the FABI, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions, under which there will be 3,500...
9 September 2022
United Kingdom: John Lewis Partnership to give staff free meals this winter
The John Lewis Partnership, which owns the eponymous department store chain as well as Waitrose supermarkets, announced on 31 August that it is to give its some 80,000 employees free meals between...
9 September 2022
Chile: government to ratify ILO convention against violence and harassment at work
On Monday 29 August, the Chilean government announced that it will ratify ILO Convention 190 concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work. According to official...
9 September 2022
United States: California introduces a minimum wage for fast food restaurant employees
California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has finally signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act/ FAST Recovery Act, or AB 257, which will improve working conditions...
8 September 2022
Cyprus: €940 minimum wage to be introduced from 2023
The minimum wage is to be introduced in the western part of Cyprus by 2023, having previously been announced for this year (see article n°12845). The level of pay will be set at €940...
7 September 2022
Germany: female quotas now mandatory in corporate management bodies
On 12 August, and following a year in which large listed companies (> 2,000 employees) subject to co-determination laws (c.f. article No.12603) were given time to freely adjust to the new...
6 September 2022
Great Britain: positive results for the 4-day week at Atom Bank
At the end of August and following several months during which 4-day working week has been trialled, the app-based online bank operating in the northeast of England has concluded that the...
5 September 2022
Nike and ILO join forces to reduce road accidents among garment workers
The International Labour Organization has launched an initiative in partnership with sportswear giant Nike to “reduce injuries and deaths from road accidents among garment and footwear...
2 September 2022
United States: California legislature passes bill to improve working conditions for fast food workers
The California State Legislature has passed the so-called Fast Recovery Act, which is set to bring about positive changes in the wages and working conditions of half a million workers in the fast...
2 September 2022
Argentina: new minimum wage increase
On 26 August, Argentina’s government approved a fresh stepwise increase in the minimum wage, amid chronic and soaring inflation as a result of the Ukraine conflict and domestic political and...
1 September 2022
Scotland: a dedicated mental health at work platform for employers
Since 11 August 2022, Scottish employers have had free access to a digital platform that contains a wealth of information to support employers who want to engage in tackling and ending the stigma...
31 August 2022
Austria: new Covid-19 regulation in effect as of 1 August 2022
A second directive, which came into force on 1 August and is valid until 23 October 2022 inclusive, relaxes the basic regulations implemented in Austria to tackle Covid-19. The directive adopts a...
30 August 2022
Luxembourg: businesses affected by gas shortages will be able to resort to short-time work
On 23 August, Luxembourg’s Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Georges Engel, together with the Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, and the social...
29 August 2022
News feed paused from 28 July to 26 August inclusive
Planet Labor is taking time off to enjoy the summer break in Europe. Our news feed will recommence on the morning of 29 August. You can of course access all our previous articles during this...
28 July 2022
Great Britain: the government publishes guidance to bring clarity on the status of workers
While legal proceedings related to the status of gig economy workers have multiplied over the last few years (c.f. article No.12369 and No.12605), on 26 July the UK government published fresh...
27 July 2022
India: new rule allows 50% of employees to work from home in Special Economic Zones
On 19 July, India’s Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Commerce published a new rule, Rule 43A that allows up to 50% of employees of businesses operating in special economic...
27 July 2022
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
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...