News

Poland: the lack of obligation to justify the termination of a fixed-term contract is constitutional
In a ruling of December 2, 2008 (sygn. P48/07), the constitutional court retained that labor law, which does not impose on the employer to justify the termination of a fixed-term contract...
EU: European partnership on anticipating change in the defense industry
The Aerospace and Defense Industries Association in Europe (ASD), the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) and the European Defense Agency (EDA) launched, on December 8, a "European Partnership...
Sweden: the 2009 Finance Act aims to improve employment, support businesses and boost demand
Corporate tax and social security reductions. The government is also proposing a företagsskattepaket (fiscal package) for businesses that will result in a total tax reduction of 16 billion SEK...
Sweden: the government does not intend to act immediately for the automobile sector
In spite of the impact of the crisis in this sector on the economy, the Swedish government ruled out, for now at least, the idea of a plan to save the auto sector. According to the government...
Netherlands: works councils are allowed to express opinions in front of shareholders
Dutch works councils should get the right to express opinions during general meetings. A bill along those lines was presented on December 8 by Hirsch Ballin, Justice Minister, and Piet Hein...
Germany: for the first time in 15 years, Daimler is going to appeal to partial unemployment (Kuzarbeit)
Badly affected by the crisis, the German car maker Daimler AG announced, on December 8, 2008, that it was going to place under "partial unemployment" about two thirds of the 28.800 people who work...
United States: auto bailout leads to trial of strength
The State to the rescue. This amount would be taken – as loans spread on 7 years – from a $25 billion fund created in September to improve gas consumption standards in the automobile industry...
9 December 2008
Hungary: analysis of the new rules on health and safety for teleworkers
An amendment to the Health and Safety Act of 1993 sets out special legal requirements for home workers in conjunction with the labor code provisions. Thus little attention has been paid to the...
Portugal: the VW Autoeuropa factory adopts a new company agreement to maintain employment
The management and workers of the Autoeuropa de Palmela automotive assembly plant adopted a new company agreement which will be in force until the end of 2011. Renegotiated during the crisis, the...
Czech Republic: upcoming amendments to the agency employment
A recent reform, set to come into force on January 1, 2009, introduces a few amendments to temporary work regulations. From now on, the user company can be punished if it doesn't respect agency...
EU: the fate of the revision of the working time directive is increasingly doubtful
The French presidency of the EU is hog-tied by the compromise adopted by the Council of Ministers on the revision of the 1993 working time directive. It couldn't bring this position closer to that...
Spain: Michelin’s management and unions sign an agreement avoiding job cuts
The inter-center works council and the management of Michelin Spain signed an "exceptional framework agreement 2009" to cope with the bad economic prospects and adapt production to market needs...
EU: the directive on temporary work was published in the Official Journal
The directive on temporary work, adopted on November 19, 2008, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on December 5. In this dispatch, we are explaining the provisions of this...
China: analysis of the new labor dispute law and its impact after six months of its application
The law on mediation and arbitration of labor disputes, adopted on December 29, 2007, entered into force on May 1, 2008, and brought about major changes to the previous mechanism for settling...
Spain: the government launches its plan for the revival of employment 2009-10 as a matter of emergency
Employment enhancement measures. This exceptional credit will mostly be allotted – up to €8 billion – to a public local investment fund aimed at immediately developing investments into public...
Belgium: the labor market will remain closed to Bulgarian and Romanian citizens until 2012
The Council of Ministers of December 5, 2008 adopted a draft royal decree which extends the transitional period for Bulgarian and Romanian workers for three more years, from January 1, 2009 to...
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025
6
France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval
The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...