News

Italy: Filcem-CGIL launches collective bargaining for over 500,000 employers in four sectors
Waiting for a “universal collective bargaining system.” After presenting a separate platform in electricity (see our dispatch No. 090705), the Filcem-CGIL is now presenting four new claim...
Germany: Federal Labor Court extends the right to strike to “flashmobs”
Flash mob to block a supermarket. The judgment rendered by the Federal Labor Court came from charges pressed by the Regional Federation of Retail Trade of Berlin-Brandenburg (case 1 AZR 972/08)...
Sweden: two collective agreements in technology and design give priority to local wage negotiations
Unionen gives individual wage negotiations up. The sector’s employers’ organization, Almega STD, represents around 740 businesses in the construction and manufacturing sectors, i.e. 2/3 of...
Germany: IG-Metall threatens with warning strikes at Volkswagen if collective bargaining fails again
“In the middle of a crisis, Volkswagen is gaining market shares in Germany and western Europe. This is due to the amazing development of our products and to the equally amazing effort of...
Saint-Gobain: new amendment strengthening the EWC’s information and consultation rights
Effective and practical social dialog. Amendment No. 5 of May 2008 (see our dispatch No. 080713) included the commitment to negotiate, as soon as the second 2008 quarter, the practical modalities...
Opel: European trade unions mobilized against the shutdown of the Antwerp site
Number fight. On September 23, whereas the EMF was expecting 3,000-5,000 workers from throughout Europe in Antwerp, out of solidarity for the site’s workers, Fritz Henderson, Opel’s CEO, told...
Hungary: temporary introduction of more flexible working time measures
New working time regulations. In response to the challenges the labor market is facing in the wake of the economic crisis, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a set of amendments to the Labor Code to...
Netherlands: bankers still as well paid
Despite a few signs of good will, Dutch bankers still receive tremendous premiums. Those whose wages exceeded €1.5 million received bonuses amounting to 311% of their remuneration for 2008 (as...
Denmark: 54th Dansk Metal Congress confronts the crisis
Maintain benefits and increase the number of members. The 54th Dansk Metal Congress, held in Aalborg on September 12-18, focused on how to face the union’s future challenges. The 486...
Peru: four-day paternity leave for all workers
The paternity leave system recently adopted in Peru provides for four days of paid leave when the mother is at the hospital. The “Act which grants the right to paternity leave to workers in the...
Sweden: government presents a ‘return-to-work’ program for people on long-term sick leave
Ambitious return-to-work program. The Swedish government wants to learn the lessons from the crisis of the 1990s and spare no effort to slow down an unemployment boom. With this program, the...
Great Britain: paternity leave extended in 2011
Agreed effort towards fathers. Initially, the government had planned to extend maternity leave from 39 to 52 weeks at the same time as increasing paternity rights, which will allow parents to...
Great Britain: CWU threatens with national strike
Wildcat strikes throughout the country. Since June 19, 2009, there have been 34 days of strike, from southern England to northern Scotland, in over 235 Royal Mail establishments. The last...
EU: the social agenda presented by Jose Manuel Barroso, reelected as the head of the European Commission
Social dumping. Mentioned in his political trends, the notion of basic social rights of workers took, within the last ten days before his investiture, a new dimension in the candidate’s words. “We...
EU: ECJ rules that employees whose sick leave overlaps with annual leave set early can take the latter some other time
Facts. In the case brought before the Court, the claimant asked his employer for a new period of paid leave because he was on sick leave due to an industrial accident which took place shortly...
Germany: Minister for Employment and Social Affairs presents a bill to reduce the gender pay gap
The social-democrat Minister Olaf Scholz introduced a bill on "wage equality" to "protect women against wage discrimination." The bill provides for an extension of WCs' intervention and...
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