News

Germany: the federal government prepares tougher measures against illegal labor
Illegal labor: widen the circle of culprits.  The bill provides that, when illegal workers are spotted, legal responsibility will no longer simply fall on workers and their direct employers, it...
Portugal: government stays on course with the EUR 500 minimum wage increases in 2011
Complying with the agreement.  After a meeting dedicated to the pending “Employment Pact,” Labor Minister Helena André confirmed that the Portuguese government intends to apply the increase of the...
Netherlands: new general secretary of the Federation of Christian Unions wants younger members
“If we don’t do anything, the CNV will be dead and gone within ten years.”  This is the rather unusual warning issued by Jaap Smit, who took the head of the CNV on June 1st after René Paas.  His...
Italy: CGIL research institute says workers’ buying power dropped by nearly EUR 5,500 between 2000 and 2010
“Real” drop.  The Ires’ 5th report, presented on September 27th in Rome, is explicitly entitled: “Wages in Italy in 2000-2010: a lost decade.”  It points out that, between 2001 and 2010, GDP...
Germany: courts disagree on default retirement
General interest vs. equal treatment.  It was the first instance ruling at the Hamburg labor court (case No. 7 AZR 116/07) on the case of an employee at the Hamburger Hochbahn company (running bus...
EADS: new European agreement defining a framework for future transnational negotiations
Clearing by the EWC.  “To reinforce its integration and improve personnel representation, the EADS group must be able to define and implement transnational policies” reads the preamble of the...
EU: overview of the meeting organized by the French association of social journalists on the European Commission’s current or pending project
“There’s an intrinsic contradiction between what is expected from the Commission and what it can give.” From the beginning of the meeting organized on Friday, the civil servant who came to...
Great Britain: Unite and Sun Chemicals sign a company collective agreement going against the increased decentralization trend in bargaining
The company is a manufacturer of organic pigments and dispersions for use as colorants in printing inks, plastics, paints, cosmetics, textiles and specialities. It is an American global company...
H&M: Swedish clothing line sets up a global financial bonus system to increase employees’ commitment
Special fund for a special financial incentive system.  H&M, the Swedish group, markets clothes and cosmetics in about 2,000 stores in 37 countries.  It has about 76,000 collaborators and, in...
27 September 2010
EU: study on the costs and benefits of the extension of maternity leave paid 100% for 18 or 20 weeks
In October 2008, the European Commission proposed a review of Directive 92/85 on the protection of the health and safety at work of pregnant workers as well as workers who have recently given...
Germany: arming industry worried about the impact of the Bundeswehr reform on employment
Many jobs were already cut in this sector.  The German arming industry isn’t an economic sector, strictly speaking, but it has quite a few jewels allowing Germany to rank third on the Stockholm...
24 September 2010
Great Britain: wages chase after inflation
According to the Office of National Statistics, the current rate of inflation continues to remain well above the government’s 2% target rate for a stable and growing economy. Since the end of...
Italy: Lombardy could cancel subsidies to businesses that relocate
“For those who take their facilities and production abroad, leaving our workers on the street, there will be no exceptions” declared the President of Lombardy’s regional budget committee...
24 September 2010
Spain: commentary of the act implementing the labor market reform
Make fixed-term contracts less appealing. Generally speaking, employers may choose between fixed-term contracts or permanent contracts. Though fixed-term contracts may be entered into only under...
Great Britain: Royal Mail staff to receive 10% of shares within the framework of privatization
Unprecedented scheme.  “This will be the largest employee shares scheme of any privatization for 25 years in terms of the number of workers who will benefit” David Cable pointed out.  The...
Spain: historical agreement on minimum service for the September 29 general strike
Eight-hour long talks led to an agreement which unions qualified of “complex” which both secures the right to strike and citizens’ mobility.  The text sets out that 25% of suburban trains will be...
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
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
3
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
4
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...