News

Italy: new Peroni agreement characterized by flexibility and telework
One of “the best company agreements in the sector” is how Pietro Pellegrini, Uila-Uil national secretary, qualified the agreement.  The latter was signed in the night of April 5 between Peroni...
Germany: 6.5 percent increase for construction staff
Pilot agreement for the country.  The agreement signed on March 30 by the social partners in Hessen for a 6.5 percent wage increase in the sector of construction and construction material...
EU: Danish presidency has a hard time getting a bargaining mandate on the intra-corporate transfers directive
Targeted workers.  The draft directive on intra-corporate transfers is still waiting on the table of the Council of EU Ministers.  The text the European Commission proposed in July 2010 aims to...
Netherlands: FNV union rejects pay freeze called for by the government and employers
The police are already waiting for the strike but civil servants are not the only targets of the Act in the offing imposing a freeze in all sectors for 30 months.  And unions were not consulted...
Brazil: unions say government’s manufacturing recovery program is not enough
20 percent cut to employers’ contributions.  On April 3, President Dilma Rousseff presented a program to boost the industry – the Brazilian sector with the smallest growth, +0.3 percent in 2011 as...
Portugal: early retirement impossible until 2014 and no 13th and 14th month bonuses for civil servants until 2015 now
A decree-law barring early retirement.  On April 5, the Portuguese government passed a decree-law freezing the rules governing early retirement with immediate effect.  The measure will be in force...
Slovenia: agreement on guidelines for the negotiation of the Social Contract 2012-2016
The Guidelines interestingly state that the fundamental issues of the labour law legislation, labour market, health and pension insurance and wages system in the public sector will be subject to...
Great Britain: new labor law amendments coming into force
Abusive layoff.  Workers starting a new job on April 6 and later will be subject to the government reform extending seniority in the company from one to two years to be able to sue the employer...
Great Britain: London Underground secures social truce for the Olympic Games this summer
The Evening Standard, the main newspaper in London, believed the deal could see drivers earning up to £6,000 in bonuses for working during the Olympics. It quoted a senior source from Aslef, the...
Italy: government releases bill on labor market reform
“Historical” scope for the reform.  When presenting the bill (72 articles, 80 pages) on the labor reform, on April 4, Mario Monti, President of the Council, used a lot of superlatives.  The bill...
Austria: first spring bargaining agreement in the textile, electrical and electrical engineering industries provide for 3.75-4.5 percent increases
The negotiations started mid-march in textile and the electrical and electrical engineering industries (see our dispatch No.  120187) were carried out swiftly since, in both cases, an agreement...
Total: amendment to the European agreement on assistance in creation, purchase or development of SMEs
New sites included.  On March 28, 2007, Total and the EMCEF (mining, chemistry and energy), FECCIA (managers in the chemical industry) and FECER (managers in energy and research) European trade...
Sweden: SEKO union joins National Employment Agency and five telecoms to set up technician training for young jobseekers
A crying need.  The telecom industry has been growing a lot in the past few years, becoming an extremely dynamic sector and playing a major part in the country’s economic development.  Therefore...
4 April 2012
Belgium: unions are campaigning for the May 7 ballot
Candidates race.  On March 27, the General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (CGLSB) was proud to announce a 17 percent increase in the number of candidates which will represent it...
4 April 2012
Great Britain: apprenticeship will have to last at least 12 months
Last December, Hayes announced that apprenticeship for all 16-18 year-olds would have to last 12 months.  On April 1, he announced that this requirement would also affect those aged 19 and over...
Sweden: trade employers’ organization signed new wage agreement with supervisory staff representatives but is facing a call for strike for employees
Satisfactory agreements for managers and graduates.  The new wage agreement signed between Svensk Handel and the Unionen and Akademikerförbunden union organizations applies to executives, store...
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
Import bans on forced labor products are multiplying
Under pressure from new US tariffs, many countries have presented texts in recent weeks to ban the import of products made with forced labor. A real breakthrough for workers' rights or a mere...
9 September 2026
2
France: EDF served formal notice for failure to comply with its sustainability due diligence obligations
The news. On 23 September, Greenpeace France announced that it had served EDF with a formal notice for failure to comply with its sustainability due diligence obligations due to the risks of harm...
24 September 2026
3
Slovakia: a bill to “clarify” personal data protection measures
The news. The Slovak government approved a bill on personal data protection on August 26, 2026. This text aims to clarify existing regulations regarding employees’ rights and...
7 September 2026