News

Spain: minimal political agreement on the pension reform
Conservative compromise.  MPs from the Parliament committee of the Toledo Pact, in charge of monitoring the viability of the public pension system, are trying to close a last-minute agreement to...
Germany: adoption of the bill transposing the EWC directive
Enhanced rights.  This new law “represents progress compared with the current legislation, which dates back to 1994, because employees’ interests are taken into consideration better” the German...
Great Britain: employers want listed businesses to be transparent regarding the number of women on boards
Set targets.  In September 2010, former trade Minister Lord Davies launched a government study on the issue of the lack of women on boards.  At the time, he highly criticized businesses’ attitude...
Portugal: government wants to limit layoff pay and facilitate negotiation at company level
Limiting layoff pay.  At this stage, the government hasn’t defined the limit and sent the case back for social dialogue.  However, layoff pay can only be limited for labor contracts signed after...
Italy: new Fiat-Chrysler joint venture will remain outside the Italian industrial relations system
After Fiat left the negotiating table on the future of Mirafiori (see our dispatch No.  100861), Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s managing director, agreed, on Friday, December 10th, in New York, with...
Germany: government adopts bill to combat abusive practices in temporary sector
End abuses.  The Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen, promised a reshuffle of the interim act after the Schlecker case (see our dispatch No.  100027). She’s kept her...
Greece: latest mobilization episode shows people are still angry
Demonstrations were equally massive (the largest gathering since May 5th) in Athens and Thessalonica, the second largest city in the country.  All unions, private and public alike, took part in...
EU: European left lays its cards on the table for the draft directive on the entry and residence of seasonal workers and intra-corporate transferees
Last week, the socialists tried to postpone the vote planned this Tuesday, December 14th. They thought the MEPs should debate the draft framework directive on the introduction of a single permit...
Germany: the Union of Christian Unions in the temporary sector isn’t authorized to sign collective agreements, Federal Labor Court rules
Victory for Verdi and the Land of Berlin. For the Union of Temporary Christian Unions (Tarifgemeinschaft Christlicher Gewerkschaften für Zeitarbeit und Personalserviceagenturen - CGZP), which...
15 December 2010
Italy: Telecom Italia launches its “school of labor relations”
“With this initiative, Telecom Italia keeps building a system marked by dialogue between the partners, the only one that can generate value for the entire society” declared Telecom Italia’s...
Bolivia: pension reform brings retirement age from 65 to 58
On December 10th, Bolivia’s President Evo Morales enacted the Pensions Act, an end-of-the-year “gift” to workers announced in November.  The text was signed at the headquarters of the Bolivian...
Germany: 2010 collective agreements marked by the crisis
Maintaining employment, a priority. Reinhardt Bispinck, collective bargaining expert at the WSI, thinks that the analysis of the 2010 collective agreements leaves no doubt: they “were clearly...
EU: European unions in the streets, Wednesday, December 15th
Unions are protesting against the austerity measures that impact wages and question the Welfare State in some European countries.  They notably blame the EU for determining aid to drastic wage...
14 December 2010
Veolia Environnement: rider to EWC agreement introduces flexible exchange of views
Build from the 2005 agreement.  The initial agreement, which dates back to October 10, 2005, already contained innovative provisions. It stated,“The vocation of the Veolia Environnement European...
Italy: Indesit management and unions agree on national restructuring program
Indesit Company employees in Brembate (Bergamo) and Refrontolo (Treviso) are currently voting on the agreement signed on the night of December 7th between the Ministry of Economic Development, the...
13 December 2010
Netherlands: strike continues at TNT Post
After two 24-hour strikes in November where 8,000 people turned out, only 4,000 mailmen came to the last strike movement.  A fourth strike is going to be organized on December 15th, announced, on...
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
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
2
Greece: hospitality sector signs first collective agreement aligned with National Social Pact
The hospitality sector (125,000 employees), one of Greece’s largest industries after retail, signed a new two-year collective agreement on 17 March. The text, effective from 1 April 2026...
3
Germany: a wave of redundancy plans in the automotive sector
The latest financial results presented in early 2026 by major German car manufacturers show sharp declines. This collapse in profits has triggered the announcement or confirmation of massive job...
16 March 2026
4
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
5
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
6
Germany: crisis and transformation wage agreement in the chemical sector
Following a two-day marathon negotiation in Bad Breisig (Western Germany), the social partners of the German chemical and pharmaceutical industries—the IG BCE trade union and the BAVC employers'...
27 March 2026