News brief
Trending topics
- hybrid work
- Managing the fallout of Covid-19
- Skills
- Gig workers and the regulation of platforms
- Global Framework Agreements
- Older workers
- mind Exclusive
- Gender equality
- Collective agreement
- Remote work regulations
- Corporate sustainability due diligence
- Artificial intelligence
- European Framework Agreement
- CSRD
- EWC agreements and recast directive
Google: Alpha Global, a global trade union alliance launches as a counterweight to the company
Less than 3 weeks after the announcement of the launch of a Google labour union (the Alphabet Workers Union) in the United States an international coalition of 13 Google unions (Verdi, Unionen...
26 January 2021
Belgium: negotiations for the next national inter-professional agreement sticking over the salary standard
This is a key moment for Belgium’s labor relations. The bi-annual inter-professional agreement as negotiated by the ‘Group of 10’ representatives of the country’s private...
26 January 2021
United States: rate of union membership rises despite fall in member numbers, due to decline in wage and salary employment
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of workers in the US who are members of a trade union fell by 321,000 to 14.3 million, according to a report published on 22 January by the Bureau of Labor...
25 January 2021
EU: the CJEU will have to rule on the European Commission’s right to refuse to give general scope to an agreement negotiated by the European social partners
The conclusions delivered by Advocate General Priit Pikamäe on 20 January 2021 in Case C‑928/19 P (European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) v European Commission) serves as a...
21 January 2021
Ireland: a landmark national strategy to develop remote work that intends to fast track the employee’s right to request remote work and the right to disconnect
On 15 January 2020, Ireland’s government published its first national remote work strategy (here), the goal of which is to ensure home and remote work becomes the norm after the pandemic...
19 January 2021
Switzerland: entry into force of a somewhat vague telework obligation
According to an ordinance promulgated by Switzerland’s Federal Council on 13 January, telework is mandatory throughout Switzerland from 18 January 2021 to 28 February 2021. The measure that...
19 January 2021
Italy: generational renewal efforts more intense than expected at Intesa Sanpaolo, which announces 1,000 additional young hires
On 14 January 2021, Intesa Sanpaolo, which is currently integrating its recent takeover target, UBI Banca, announced it will hire 3,500 young people by the first half of 2024, i.e. 1,000 more than...
19 January 2021
United States: unionisation campaign at Amazon in Alabama
Amazon employees at one of the e-commerce giant’s fulfilment centres – in Birmingham, Alabama – are to vote on whether they want to join a trade union. The process will be...
18 January 2021
Austria: social partners announce “general collective agreement” to support new national testing strategy
On 9 January, following consultation with the heads of the Länder and social partners, the Austrian government announced the introduction of a new testing strategy that, in parallel with the...
15 January 2021
Great Britain: Morrisons is set to become the first UK supermarket to pay its employees at least £10 (€11.20) per hour
This new basic hourly rate of £10 per hour (€11.22 E) was negotiated as part of a wage agreement by the retail trade union, Usdaw, which is now asking its members to formally accept...
14 January 2021
Germany: automobile firms prepare to administer vaccines
The stricter lockdown measures that came into force in Germany on 11 January 2021 have little effect on companies. This has led to a heated debate on the issue of increased teleworking measures...
11 January 2021
Spain: social partners strike initial agreement to extend short time working mechanisms to 31 May
The Spanish government and social partners have agreed to extend temporary employment regulation plans (ERTEs, equivalent of short time working) enacted due to the reduction in business volumes...
11 January 2021
Brexit: draft exit agreement and GDPR
The draft Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK contains an interim provision for the transfer of personal data to the UK which provides for a period of four months (which may...
7 January 2021
Germany: draft legislation adopted for female quotas at corporate executive level
Draft legislation imposing a female quota at corporate executive level was adopted as planned (c.f. article No. 12239) on 06 January, during the Council of Ministers first meeting of 2021. The...
7 January 2021
China: controversial menstrual leave initiative set for Liaoning Province
As of 01 March 2021, Liaoning province in northeast China will allow employees suffering from menstrual pain to take up to two extra days off per month. Presented as an innovative measure aimed at...
6 January 2021
Great Britain: Tesco and Pizza Hut among those ‘named and shamed’ for non-payment of minimum wage
On 31 December and after a two-year hiatus, the UK government resumed ‘naming and shaming’ companies for failing to pay the minimum wage (c.f. article No.10488), and revealed the names...
5 January 2021
Our mind news
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
31 October 2025
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...
20 October 2025
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...
15 October 2025
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
14 October 2025
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
EU: Omnibus Directive clears key milestone in European Parliament
On 13 October, the European Parliament’s position on the Omnibus Directive was approved by its Committee on Legal Affairs by 17 votes to six. Regarding due diligence rules, the report...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
13 October 2025
2
mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
31 October 2025
3
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
4
Italy: European pay transparency directive, a major step forward for businesses
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
14 October 2025
5
Germany: EU pay transparency directive to force companies to ‘get tough’
Germany introduced a pay transparency law in 2017, meaning companies are already somewhat familiar with the issue. However, the broader scope and stricter requirements of the EU directive, the...
24 October 2025
6
Germany: ‘active retirement’ law adopted to encourage seniors to remain in the workforce
On 15 October, Germany’s cabinet approved draft legislation on ‘active retirement‘, which is expected to pass swiftly through Parliament. The bill would allow people who continue...
20 October 2025