News

EU: impact of center-right sway on European social legislation
European right wins. Sunday’s vote signs the overwhelming victory of the European right over social democracy. With 265 out of 736 MEPs, the majority Parliamentary group, the EPP-ED (European...
Italy: social partners and local government in Emilia-Romagna sign innovative agreement on crisis management
Consultation method. The agreement establishes a consultation system for crisis management, supporting employment and businesses to avoid layoffs. It provides for the conclusion of agreements in...
Portugal: tough negotiations at VW Autoeuropa in Lisbon on the six-day week
Negotiations on the introduction of more working time flexibility to maintain employment at Autoeuropa's factory around Lisbon resumed, on June 2, after a break at the end of May. The social...
Finland: unions divided on the introduction of minimum wage
Debate is open. Mikko Mäenpää, leader of the STTK confederation (white collars), which mostly represents executives in the public and in the private sector, said that Mr. Lyly’s proposition is a...
Great Britain: new “fit note” encouraging employees to go back to work
Planet Labor, June 4, 2009, No. 090606 – www.planetlabor.com
Italy: suppliers’ solidarity strike stopped production at Fiat’s Melfi factory
Termination of agency workers’ contracts. The conflict broke out when Magneti Marelli (Fiat) announced that it wouldn’t renew almost 70 temporary contracts which came to an end on May 31 in two...
EU: the Commission softens EFS rules and reminds the Twenty-Seven of their commitment towards employment and training
Unemployment figures aren’t improving in Europe. According to a Eurostat survey published on Tuesday, in April, there were around 21 million jobseekers in the EU27, from 8.4% in March to 8.6% in...
Germany: alarming rise in stress at work
Three recent studies (2008-2009) show that, in five years, stress at work has soared in Germany. Over this period, the number of sick leaves caused by stress increased of 17%, reaching 10 million...
International: 32nd IMF Congress recognizes a role to southern organizations
On May 2528, the representatives of 200 organizations from around 100 countries met in Gothenburg, Sweden, for the 32nd Congress of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF). In addition to...
Great Britain: government postpones maternity leave extension because of the economic crisis
The government postponed the extension of maternity leave to six months, aimed at encouraging fathers to share it with mothers, because of the recession. Now, every piece of legislation is scanned...
E.ON Energy Trading: German company becomes a SE
This is a first in the German energy sector. E.ON Energy Trading, a subsidiary of the German energy giant E.ON, is the first German company to turn into a European Company (SE). After signing, on...
Spain: BBVA offers temporary contract suspensions and leaves to complete training to its employees
The bank is seeking solutions to deal with possible excess staff as part of a restructuring program and possible mergers in the Spanish financial sector. (Ref. 090593)
Italy: 17th annual report of the National Statistics Institute published
The last annual report of the Istat (Italian National Statistics Institute) provides an overview of economic, social and demographic change in Italy during the crisis. While, in some sectors, SMEs...
Enel: Italian energy group publishes CSR agreement
Singed on April 27 by the group's management, the Filcem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, Uilcem Italian unions (see our dispatch No. 090504), Enel's Corporate Social Responsibility Protocol is mostly based on...
Morocco: the influx of Moroccan workers to Spain is stronger than the crisis
While unemployment is raging in Spain, will the crisis triumph over the system of legal professional circular migration launched with Morocco? Eduardo Martin Toval, labor and social affairs...
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1
Spain: new terms and conditions for in-company training contracts
On 25 November, Spain's Council of Ministers approved a regulation on training contracts. This text defines the terms and conditions for hosting work-study students and interns doing professional...
2
France: sectors feel economic slowdown to differing degrees
The latest data on France’s occupational sectors (branches professionnelles), covering the year 2023, show how employment trends are shaping workplace dynamics. After a more favourable period for...
3
Germany: apprenticeship openings fall sharply in manufacturing and chemicals
From 1 January 2026, Dutch collective agreements for temporary employment agencies will alter the employment conditions of temp workers. Agencies will be required to pay these workers at least the...