News

Czech Republic: pension system declared unconstitutional for failing to guarantee reasonable material comfort for high wages
The case was decided on the basis of a petition of a physically handicapped person, who sued the Czech Republic for the amount of his pension, very low compared to his earnings. In the given case...
Denmark: workers to ratify the agreements renewing national collective agreements in the private sector
Containing all the agreements renewing the national collective agreements of the private sector signed this spring, as well as the provisions defined in these agreements for sectors that couldn’t...
Lithuania: towards even more flexible industrial relations
According to the information website alfa.lt, government representatives and the social partners reached an agreement on flexible working time on Wednesday, April 14th after several months of...
Areva: amendment to the European agreement on equal opportunities establishes social dialog as a pillar for its implementation
Basically, the agreement perpetuates the ODEO approach, born from the European project launched in 2008 by the signatories of the agreement to spread it, and partly funded by European budget lines...
EU: metal and mining union federations mobilize to save metal industries
Immediate State aid. The EMF and EMCEF want to use the European Commission looking at the compliance between European law and electricity prices in Germany and Italy to launch a debate at European...
Italy: internal crack after the 7th Congress of the Fisac, the CGIL’s banking and insurance federation
“Values in the heart, the future in the eyes.” This slogan set the tone for the 7th congress of the CGIL’s banking and insurance federation, Fisac, organized on April 14-16 in Rimini.
Norway: competitiveness and equal treatment at the center of wage negotiations in 2010
The Norwegian system is based on an old and long-established tradition of tripartite cooperation between the State and the social partners. Actually, they all agree on the quality of their...
Germany: the good governance committee wants to encourage businesses to increase the number of women within boards
Promote diversity. Created in September 2001 by the German Department of Justice, the committee on good government reviews, once a year and where appropriate, the “German Code of Corporate...
Italy: 5th national congress of the Flai-CGIL, the food federation, focuses on union unity
“The Flai-CGIL to defend and free rights” was the title of the 5th national congress of the Flai-CGIL. The federation, which negotiates 17 national collective agreements (affecting nearly 2...
Great Britain: the “winter of discontent” or the very apropos use of collective memory
The most recent outing of this phenomenon has been in the immediate run up to the general election in May 2010 when strikes and proposed strikes took place at British Airways, in the civil service...
Netherlands: lowest strike level since 1985
This is a historic fall, even more noticeable since social relations are tense because of the economic crisis that started at the end of 2008. A sign that unions, which represent a fourth of...
Germany: new postal services’ union (GNBZ) can’t bargain for collective agreements, Federal Labor Court says
Victory for Verdi. This decree puts an end to a long legal procedure Ver.di started after the creating, in 2007, of a rival union, the new postal services’ union (GNBZ). According to Ver.di, GNBZ...
Belgium: will Opel’s Antwerp site remain in the bosom of the auto industry?
Draft social plan. Even though they haven’t signed it yet, they have nevertheless agreed to present to Opel’s Antwerp staff the draft social plan negotiated with the management over the weekend...
Germany: coalition in power to prolong short-time working through March 2012
Keep unemployment from rising up. Determined to not jeopardize the government’s flagship measure against unemployment, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) initially...
Italy: 25th national Fiom-CGIL Congress ends with division
“Democracy based on labor.” This was the title, based on article 1 of the Italian constitution, of the 25th Congress of the Fiom, organized in Montesilvano (Pescara), on April 14-16. It was the...
Romania: emergency ordinance to reform sick leaves and toughen controls
Home monitoring. With this strong reform of sick leave, which will come into force in May, the Romanian government has opened the hunting season against sick people. Health Minister Cseke Attila...
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
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
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...