News

EU: the Council recommends Member States to improve workers’ protection against the tobacco smoke
Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia abstained from voting. The recommendation is based, almost word for word, on the text proposed by the European Commission on June 30 (see our dispatch...
Austria: trade partners agree on wage increases between 1.5 and 1.8%
When presenting the terms of the wage agreement negotiated for the 570,000 workers in trade (including wholesale pharmaceutical trade), Manfred Wolf, negotiator for the GPA union, is mostly happy...
Romania : the authorities struggle to reduce the importance of the underground economy
Planet Labor, December 3, 2009, No. 091099 – www.planetlabor.com 
Finland: in spite of the crisis, wage increases in chemistry are higher than the top limits recommended by employers’ organizations
This is an important result. Indeed, by a schedule coincidence, the period for the application of most collective agreement in Finland negotiated between 2006 and 2008 will expire in early 2010...
Areva: EWC denounces bad sales conditions for workers at its T&D branch
Social concerns. By announcing, on November 30, the beginning of exclusive negotiations with Alstom/Schneider Electric, Areva ended several weeks of faux suspense around the sale of its T&D...
Italy: Fiom-CGIL presents popular own-initiative bill on union democracy
Popular own-initiative bill. As of January 2010, the Fiom will start, in factories and regions, collecting the 50,000 signatures it needs to present its popular own-initiative bill for union...
Netherlands: no more court formula for “manifestly unreasonable” layoffs
In the Netherlands, employers who want to part with an employee have two options: use the dissolution proceedings or ask employment services (CWI) for a layoff authorization. In that case, the...
Germany: IG BCE chemistry union sets the maintenance of employment as its priority for 2010 collective bargaining
“So far, the social partners in the chemical industry have managed to overcome the crisis without any major layoff wave. And we need, as much as we can, to keep it this way” explained Peter...
Great Britain: government accepts the recommendations of the report on the reform of the banking sector
Expected publication of the final report. In February 2009, the government asked Sir David Walker to study the finance sector, and the final recommendations regarding the reform of corporate...
Germany: the congress of the employers’ organisation BDA confirms the exceptional understanding between the social partners
The employers want to fight for collective agreements. Dieter Hundt, BDA’s President, who was re-elected for 2 years, surprised everybody while announcing that his goal “is from now on to work for...
Spain: Minister for Economic Affairs and social partners ready to carry the labor market reform forward
These separate meetings between the Minister and the social partners took place on Friday, November 27, after the Council of Ministers approved the government’s new economic program (ley de...
Germany: Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Franz-Josef Jung replaced by Ursula von der Leyen, one of the “stars” of the Merkel government
Jung leaves, von der Leyen comes. Franz-Josef Jung’s resignation didn’t take long. Since the Bild daily revealed, on Wednesday, that the current Employment Minister hid, when he was the Defense...
Great Britain: new agreement in engineering construction gives preference to the employment of local workforce
New agreement for 2010-11. Quiet is finally back in a sector which should make at least ten nuclear reactors by 2030. Almost 30,000 workers voted yes to an agreement on wages and working...
The Netherlands: the TNT postmen turn down salary cuts
Planet Labor, November 25, 2009, No. 091074 – www.planetlabor.com
Austria: Metalworking and chemical workers’ unions merge to become Pro.ge, the production trade union
The Metalworking Trade Union (GMYN) and the Union of Chemical Workers (GdC) have existed independently for respectively 119 and 107 years and this independence will end on Saturday, November 26th...
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
France: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
2
Germany: IG Metall demands 5% pay rise amid severe pressure
Despite the crisis hitting the automotive industry, the leadership of the German trade union IG Metall announced on Wednesday 23 September that it would be asking for a 5% pay increase as well as...
23 September 2026
3
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
4
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 2026
5
Spain: approval of decree on employees’ right to clear information on working conditions
The Spanish government validated, on September 8 in the Council of Ministers, the decree transposing the European directive on transparent and predictable working conditions. This text requires...
9 September 2026
6
France: bioMérieux strengthens its end-of-career support measures
The news. In vitro diagnostic specialist bioMérieux (4,400 employees in France) and unions CFDT, CFE-CGC, and CGT signed a new agreement on June 18, 2026, dedicated to end-of-career...
10 September 2026