News

China: surprising workforce shortage for the ‘made in china’
Orders are back but not workers. No answer to his job offers and no one to recruit at the city’s employment fair. Like his colleagues, Yang Zongfu can’t find workers to come work in his jean plant...
26 October 2009
Spain: temp social partners list eight recommendations to bargain for equality programs in the sector’s businesses
These eight recommendations, of a declarative value, were developed within the equal committee on best practices in terms of equality programs in the temporary sector. They have to characterize...
Portugal: Minister for Labor and Solidarity from a European trade union
European trade union leader. Maria Helena André was elected ETUC deputy general secretary in 2003, and reelected in 2007. She was notably in charge of European social dialog. The new Labor...
Italy: basic unions join forces but are still divided over the creation of a union confederation
“Fully successful” strike. This is how Pierpaolo Leonardi, national Rdb Cub coordinator, qualified the general 24-hour strike launched by basic unions – Rdb, Cub, Cobas and Sdl Intercategoriale...
EU: national laws making the dismissal of employees on parental leave cheaper in the ECJ’s line of sight
Facts. A Belgian employee fired for economic reasons objected to the amount of compensation she got, based on the part-time salary she received while on parental leave. She asked that compensation...
Germany: to keep young skilled workers in businesses, the Bavarian idea of “employment bridges” is gaining a following
700,000 specialists needed by 2015. In May, the social partners in metalworking and the Land of Bavaria came up with the idea of an employment bridge for apprentices, skilled workers and...
Argentina: inflation higher than wage increases
According to the human resources specialist, Ernst & Young, a huge majority of Argentinean businesses increased wages in 2009 for workers who aren’t covered by collective agreements. In a...
Spain: Magna and Figueruelas unions reach an agreement
Unions are satisfied and think that the new points Magna included into the industrial plan to strengthen the site’s future includes their main claims and offers guarantees to maintain production...
Italy: the Fiom’s central committee confirms mobilization against the separate agreement on the metalworking CCN
“Deeply negative judgment.” This is how the central committee of the Fiom, gathered on October 20, summarized its point of view on the agreement for the renewal of the CCN signed on October 15 by...
Spain: in Valencia, Ford’s employees validate the new company agreement and the management’s social plan
A better agreement with no economic layoffs. The new text contains major improvements compared with the text rejected in April because unions were divided (see our dispatch No. 090695). The 600...
Germany: back to layoffs and wage freezes?
In Germany, unemployment figures for September 2009 surprised experts. This fall, the recovery was faster than anticipated and unemployment dropped of 8.3% in August and 8% in September (7.4% in...
Germany: the Deutsche Bahn to pay a high fine for controlling employees’ data without their knowing it
Earlier this year, the Deutsche Bahn recognized that it controlled and compared, several times since 1998, personal information on almost all its employees and suppliers without them knowing about...
China: expats going home
Fewer expats. The big apartment on the 20th floor with a view on Shanghai’s skyscrapers seems pretty empty. After nine months living in China, Karine is quickly gathering her last boxes in the...
21 October 2009
RR Donnelley: EWC agreement
RR Donnelley’s special negotiating body and management signed an agreement establishing the EWC. This agreement is the result of three years of negotiations during which the company’s American...
Great Britain: government shows that race discrimination still exists upon recruitment
Africans and Asians are the first victims. The Employment Ministry’s study shows that workers with an African or Asian name are discriminated against when they apply for a job (see our dispatch...
Germany: Transnet and GDBA rail unions to increase cooperation to have more weight against the Deutsche Bahn
Two unions already quite close. To that end, on October 26 and 27, Transnet’s executive committee will meet, and the GDBA’s management will do the same on October 29 to talk about this...
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
EU: list of new CSRD reporting standards finalised
On 4 December, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) presented the revised list of reporting indicators under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which...
5 December 2025
2
EU: co-legislators strike agreement on Omnibus Directive
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached an agreement on the night of 8 December on the weakening of the directives on corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) and corporate...
9 December 2025
3
EU: Parliament formally adopts omnibus, diluting due diligence rules
On 16 December, the European Parliament formally approved the omnibus package amending the EU corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence directives. Their application has been pushed...
16 December 2025