News

United States: Uber has to justify that the compensation it promised is sufficient in exchange for drivers dropping a class action over employment status misclassification
On 30 June the judge in charge of accepting the terms of a settlement agreement that was meant to halt collective action by Uber (online platform based chauffeur service) drivers in California...
4 July 2016
France: in the run up to the final vote by the National Assembly the labor reform bill continues to divide the left and the unions
Following four months of contestation both on the streets and in Parliament, the bill on labor market reform (c.f. article No. 9575) is approaching its final hurdle when on 05 July the National...
1 July 2016
Sweden: given the exponential growth in the number of posted workers, unions are finding ways to promote the conclusion of collective agreements
How to temper the effects of the EJC ruling in the Laval case over working conditions for posted employees? The ruling calls the fundamentals of the Swedish model into question and has forced the...
1 July 2016
General Electric: the EWC has delivered a detailed negative opinion on the major restructuring plan with social dialogue set to continue at national level
Following the merger on 02 November 2015 between General Electric (GE) and Alstom Power & Grid, on 04 January 2016 GE announced a major European restructuring plan involving around 6,500 job...
30 June 2016
Great Britain: Prospect union ready to merge with BECTU
The small media and entertainment union BECTU has the summer to vote for or against a merger with the ever growing Prospect union, which is the trade union for scientists, engineers, and other...
30 June 2016
Italy: the new President of Confindustria renews union links in view of upcoming industrial relations negotiations
A positive atmosphere surrounded the first informal meeting held on June 28 between Vincenzo Boccia, leader of the employers’ body Confindusria since March 2016, and the secretaries general of the...
30 June 2016
Germany: minimum wage rises for the first time to €8.84 an hour from January 2017
A year and a half after Germany’s landmark introduction on 01 January 2015 of a national minimum wage, the country’s Federal Salaries Commission delivered its first ruling where, as of 01 January...
29 June 2016
EU: together the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the social partners commit to restarting social dialogue at all levels
Game, set, and match. The European social partners (the ETUC representing trade unions and BusinessEurope, CEEP, and the UEAPME representing employers) had agreed a text for the restarting of...
29 June 2016
Germany: government looks to subsidize salaries for the disabled
During a cabinet meeting on 28 June, Germany’s coalition government approved a draft law on disabled persons’ participation in society (Bundesteilhabegesetz). Formulated by Andrea Nahles, Minister...
28 June 2016
EU: electricity sector social partners sign an agreement over minimum standards for trainees
On 27 June, both employers (Eurelectric) and unions (EPSU and IndustriALL Europe) signed an agreement laying down a minimum framework for trainees in the electricity sector. The signatories will...
28 June 2016
Czech Republic: secret trade union membership developed to avoid potential employer reprisals
In 2012 the Czech online news site Novinky.cz reported on employees’ voiced concerns over reprisals by their employer Hyundai Motors because they were members of a trade union. The company has...
28 June 2016
Great Britain: sets a course to leave the EU
51.9% of the British population voted ‘No’ to Europe during an historic referendum, plunging the United Kingdom and its business community into a sea of uncertainty. Negotiations to exit the EU...
24 June 2016
Germany: 5.3% wage rise over 24 months for the chemicals sector
Germany’s 550,000 chemicals employees will receive a 5.3% pay rise paid in two stages comprising first 3% then 2.3%. In exchange for the size of the rise the IG BCE union accepted spreading the...
24 June 2016
Portugal: retail sector adopts a new collective agreement
Since 16 June, Portugal’s major retailers has a new collective agreement where workers will enjoy a 2% wage rise as well as arrangements to be implemented that will allow for equivalences between...
24 June 2016
Italy: banking sector social partners negotiate a code of conduct
Following a series of scandals that have hit several of Italy’s banking institutions, negotiations commenced between the employers’ body ABI (Associazione Bancaria Italiana) and the sector’s...
23 June 2016
Germany: more and more businesses are looking for new ways to attract apprentices
Germany’s businesses are doing more and more to attract apprenticeship candidates in a bid to fill a growing shortage. Measures including in-house internships, closer ties with the secondary and...
23 June 2016
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
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
2
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
3
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
4
Germany: standoff over national plan to boost collective bargaining
Under the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, Germany is required to produce an action plan to boost collective bargaining coverage. That plan has stalled, however, after being blocked by the...
9 February 2026
5
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
6
ENI incorporates just transition and AI into global agreement
On 13 January, Italian energy group ENI renewed its global agreement on international industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and the just transition with Italian unions CGIL, CISL...
5 February 2026