News

Netherlands: new government wants to cut minimum wage
A coalition agreement between the liberal party (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was presented on September 30th and approved on October 5th by the Christian democrats’...
Italy: negotiations started for the “growth pact” promoted by the Confindustria employers’ organization
The “sense of responsibility” prevailed: “all the social partners took a step back from their individual interests to work on the country’s interests.”  This is how Emma Marcegaglia, leader of...
Great Britain: Confederation of British Industry presents concrete proposals to limit the right to strike
The rationale for the CBI’s proposals is three-fold. First, industrial action could jeopardise the fragile economic recovery. Second, only 15% of workers in the private sector are union members...
Estonia: trade unions publish their own manifesto as an answer to employers’ work program
Pensions, unemployment benefits and education.  Unions and employers did a sparring match through texts two weeks after the ETTK employers’ organization presented its work program (see our...
Germany: 2011/2012 collective bargaining schedule
2010 negotiations end with a controversy on equal pay.  Will the agreement signed in the steel industry – introducing equal pay between permanent  and temporary workers, as well as a 3.6% increase...
Switzerland: under the threat of a referendum, the Parliament is refusing to open the postal market
Ballot.  Communication workers’ unions won a first battle.  On September 29th, the Swiss House of Representatives, the National Council, refused (102 against, 82 for) to open the postal market to...
Spain: peers drive head of employers’ confederation to quit
Disputed management. Mr. Diaz Ferrán hoped to stay in position until the end of his term in 2013.  But it had become impossible to defend. He was increasingly openly questioned within the...
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5 October 2010
EU: Uni wants to promote ‘whistleblowing’ in businesses
Whistleblowing is more widespread in the UK and the US than it is in continental Europe. This practice consists in employees knowing about offenses, statutory violations or any hazard to health or...
4 October 2010
Italy: Lombardy launches apprenticeship replacing mandatory school training
A “reform with a very high cultural value,” is how the President of Lombardy, Roberto Formigoni, presented the apprenticeship agreement he signed on Monday, September 27th with the Minister of...
Germany: two of the three temporary employers’ organizations announce their merger
Merger in 2011. “It’s time temporary businesses joined forces. Consequently, the managements of our two federations unanimously decided to quickly launch the procedure for the AMP and BZA to...
Denmark: LO publishes “green paper” on nanotechnologies
Without trying to “prevent the development of nanotechnologies,” but making sure it won’t “damage the health and safety of present and future generations,” LO presented, last week, its “green...
1 October 2010
Sweden: different unions unite to write and publish school textbooks for high schoolers
Textbooks reflecting today’s reality.  The idea came from a study published by the Göteborg University that showed that labor-related issues were barely treated in school textbooks.  Meanwhile...
Great Britain: labor law changes in force on October 1st
Equality Act 2010.  Most provisions of the Equality Act 2010 are coming into force today.  This act contains different existing regulations in terms of discrimination, and adds novelties (see our...
Germany: new steel collective agreement provides for a 3.6% increase and equal pay for agency workers
3.6% increase.  Obtained after warning strikes that mobilized over 15,000 employees, the agreement is a real pay improvement for the 85,000 workers of steel businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia...
EU: European Trade Union Confederation happy with European mobilization
On September 29th, tens of thousands of people answered the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)’s call.  From about thirty countries, they all marched in Brussels to protest against the...
30 September 2010
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
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
France: Bayer puts female health and inclusive parenthood at the centre of its equality policy
In a new agreement on gender equality highlighted by mind RH, Bayer commits to strengthening its parenthood policy. Furthermore, the company is anticipating pay transparency and introducing...
25 September 2026
3
Germany: Volkswagen cancels almost all collective bargaining agreements signed with IG Metall
The Volkswagen brand announced on 30 September that it is terminating 10 of its 13 internal collective bargaining agreements, effective 31 December 2026. The announcement, which the carmaker...
1 October 2026
4
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Germany: major day of union action in the automotive industry ahead of collective bargaining
A few weeks before the start of collective bargaining in the German metalworking sector, the IG Metall trade union mobilised nearly 175,000 workers across more than 200 industrial sites on 21...
22 September 2026