News brief

France: agreement to boost gender diversity struck at 3M
In an agreement signed on 26 June, the industrial company 3M France, which has nearly 800 employees, and representative trade unions signed a new agreement on professional equality. Amid a decline...
17 September 2025
Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk plans radical ‘transformation’ of its business
On 10 September, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk announced a ‘company-wide transformation to simplify its organisation’, which will involve significant job cuts. In all, 9,000 jobs face...
17 September 2025
Italy: Essilor-Luxottica to experiment with a four-day week at one plant from 1 January 2026
On 9 September, the Franco-Italian optical group Essilor-Luxottica and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions signed an agreement that will enable all employees at one of the...
16 September 2025
Poland: periods spent setting up a business and freelancing to count towards professional seniority
On 12 September, the Polish parliament adopted the ‘seniority bill’, which aims to “re-establish fairness in the labour market”. Under the bill, periods spent running a...
16 September 2025
Germany: will the upcoming ‘active retirement’ scheme be a financial drain with little impact on the pool of skilled labour?
Carsten Linnemann, general secretary of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), confirmed once again in mid-August the governing parties’ intention to introduce two new schemes...
15 September 2025
South Korea: employer responsibility extended to subcontractors
A draft bill adopted by the South Korean National Assembly on 24 August will require the principal to engage in collective bargaining with the employees of subcontracting companies. It thus amends...
12 September 2025
France: when working time is calculated on a weekly basis, overtime must take into account paid holiday (ruling)
In a 10 September ruling, the labour chamber of France’s Court of Cassation found that when working time is assessed weekly, employees may still qualify for overtime pay even if paid leave...
12 September 2025
EU: MEPs want to use public procurement as a lever to improve job quality
In an own-initiative report adopted on 9 September, members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection urged the Commission to reinforce social clauses...
11 September 2025
Mexico: platform for reporting labour law breaches launched
On 4 September, Mexico’s labour ministry unveiled a new platform allowing workers to file confidential complaints over potential rights violations or health and safety risks. The system...
10 September 2025
Germany: Polish employees at Tesla factory get organised
Polish employees at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin announced at the end of August their intention to present their own list for the forthcoming works council elections...
9 September 2025
Italy: non-biological mothers in same-sex couples entitled to paternity leave (ruling)
In a ruling on 21 July, Italy’s Constitutional Court struck down a provision of a 2001 law, which was amended in 2022 to make paternity leave compulsory but limited this right to fathers...
8 September 2025
United Kingdom: German discount chain Aldi keeps its promise to be the best-paying supermarket
The 28,000 British employees of German discount supermarket chain Aldi were handed a 1.9% pay rise on 1 September. In July, the retailer announced that the minimum hourly wage would rise from...
4 September 2025
New Zealand: employees now allowed to disclose their pay at work
New Zealand has banned retaliation against employees who disclose their salaries at work. The bill, introduced by a Labour opposition MP, was passed by Parliament before taking effect on 26 August...
3 September 2025
Czech Republic: minimum wage to rise by 7.7% on 1 January 2026
Czech labour minister Marian Jurečka, of the Christian and Democratic Union, announced on 29 August that the gross minimum wage will rise 7.7% from CZK 20,800 to CZK 22,400 (€916) per...
2 September 2025
Mexico: President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms plan to raise the minimum wage
The minimum wage in Mexico must be raised annually over the next few years to represent 2.5 basic baskets (a set of products and services considered essential for the survival and well-being of a...
1 September 2025
UN agencies publish guidelines to protect workers from heat
On 22 August, the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization released a joint report highlighting the rising risks that heat poses to workers amid climate change. The report...
28 August 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
Germany: government seeks to facilitate immigration of skilled Indian workers
During a visit to India earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the strategic importance of attracting Indian workers to Germany, signing a series of cooperation agreements...
2
France: Medef publishes guide to support career transitions and retraining
France's largest employer federation Medef has provided its regional representatives with a practical guide designed to support career transitions and retraining. Structured around three key tools...
6 February 2026
3
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...
4
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...
5
Informal economy and slow wage growth hamper decent work, ILO says
The International Labour Organisation published its Employment ans Social Trends 2026 on 14 January. It anticipates unemployment stabilising in 2026 and employment growth of 1%, driven by...
6
EU: Commission wants to facilitate entry of international ‘talent’
In a recommendation published on 29 January, the European Commission calls on member states to take a series of measures to attract and retain international talent. It targets holders of skilled...