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Germany: unions launch national action day in 1,000 businesses for equal treatment between permanent and temporary employees
National action day for equal pay.  True to their new strategy of involving employees more actively in the protection of their interest, and as a clear message to employers, German unions decided...
24 February 2011
Greece: protest is not getting weaker
Demonstrators massively answered unions’ call on Wednesday, marching in close ranks in the streets of Athens.  Police say 30,000 came which organizers say between 60,000 and 100,000 came.  For the...
Finland: social partners commit to continue action organized since 2005 to reduce the gender pay gap
In a joint declaration published on February 10th, the key union confederations in Finland (SAK, STTK and Akava) and the key employers’ organizations in the public sector (churches, communities...
24 February 2011
Sweden: government suggests simpler appeal to overtime and introduction of hygiene and security committee
Draft amendment of the Working Time Act.  Beforehand, businesses had to send a request to the Arbetsmiljöverket before appealing to overtime, within 200 hours per calendar year and per employee. ...
Italy: Fiat keeps applying its model in Italian undertakings in spite of the Fiom-CGIL’s opposition
On February 15th, Fiat managing director Sergio Marchionne told the committee on productive activities of the Chamber of Deputies that Fiat’s “head” would remain in Turin provided that the...
Great Britain: pay disputes spread because of increasing cost of living
The main factors explaining this considerable increase are the rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 17.5% to 20% and the continued increase in the price of crude oil. With this...
Germany: 130,000 employees in textile get a 3.6% wage increase
Union satisfaction.  For the first time ever, the IG-Metall union and the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry (Gesamtverband textil + mode) managed to reach an agreement...
Italy: Supreme Court recognizes second-hand smoke as an occupational disease
With Decree No. 3227 of February 10, 2011, the labor department of the Supreme Court recognized second-hand smoke as a cause of occupational disease, because it affects the safety of workstations’...
Austria: Telekom Austria offers “golden early retirement” to its employees
800 requests for “golden early retirement” are currently pending at Telekom Austria’s personnel services.  “The program is a total success.  I think that, this year, 350 colleagues are going to...
22 February 2011
Belgium: government chooses its compromise offer to make up for the absence of cross-industry agreement
Application of the agreement.  After an umpteenth meeting with the social partners on Friday morning, premier Yves Leterme asked his government to start the implementation of the draft compromise...
21 February 2011
Germany: government agrees to the introduction of minimum wage in interim, surveillance and continuous education
Moderate increase of the Hartz IV allowance.  In February 2010, the Karlsruhe federal constitutional court forced the coalition parties to review the amount and calculation modalities of the Hartz...
Rhodia: renewal of the global agreements on social and environmental responsibility
This new renewal of the agreement, already renewed in 2008 (see our dispatch No.  080333), ads the addendum signed in 2010 which provided for the creation of a “global safety panel” whose mission...
Denmark: sponsorship, unions’ new “weapon” to recruit new members
Until the summer 2013, the AG København (AGK) handball team will bear, on their T-shirts, the names and logos of the Det Faglig Hus and Krifa unions.  Via an unheard-of alliance in Denmark, the...
Italy: 3rd national conference of call center workers warns about relocations in the industry
The SLC organized the 3rd national conference of call center workers on February 18-19 in Rome.  Three years after the stabilization procedures, which led to permanent contracts for nearly 25,000...
21 February 2011
Germany: Hartz IV regulations reforming unemployment insurance didn’t help reinstate long-term jobseekers
Last week, the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur – BA) provided, for the first time, figures published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, confirming that the people who receive the Hartz IV...
21 February 2011
Netherlands: new pilot-project to avoid long-term unemployment
Nine projects were simultaneously launched in Apeldoorn, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Woerden and other cities, in sectors such as wood, construction, graphic design or health, to help laid off employees...
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1
France: government submits draft on pay transparency
On 6 March, the French government sent social partners a draft bill to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive. The text provides details on the implementation timetable, corporate...
9 March 2026
2
Sweden: government delays transposition of Pay Transparency Directive
On 11 March, the Swedish government announced it is postponing the transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive. Having originally targeted an entry into force on 1 July 2026, it has conceded a...
3
Germany: menopause issues finally gain corporate recognition
With 12 million women over 40 in the labour force, German companies and occupational health professionals are beginning to adopt support policies for those affected by menopause-related issues...
4
Italy: Deliveroo and Glovo targeted by justice over courier working conditions
The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered two of Italy's leading food delivery platforms, Foodinho (Glovo) and Deliveroo, to be placed under judicial administration. According to...
9 March 2026
5
Valérie Decaux (La Poste): “Our older workers policy is based on individualisation to move beyond age-related-stigmatisation”
La Poste Group (nearly 200,000 employees in France) unveiled its first senior employment agreement in late February. The text outlines measures for early retirement assistance, workplace...
6
Denmark: government launches transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive
On 26 February, the Danish government submitted a draft bill to transpose the Pay Transparency Directive for consultation until 27 March. The bill sets an implementation date of 1 January 2027...