News

France: “Telework is organised on a team basis,” Sophie Balmary, Director of Social Relations at Michelin (interview)
Signed on 02 December 2021 by all the group's representative trade unions, Michelin's new telework agreement, which centres on team accountability and team empowerment, promotes a number of...
25 January 2022
China: parental leave extended in all provinces
Most Chinese provinces adopted new local rules on family planning through the second half of last year, with significant extensions to parental leave and the introduction of childcare leave...
21 January 2022
Engie enters into a new Global Framework Agreement on Fundamental Rights and ENGIE’s Social Responsibility
On 20 January 2022 the French multinational utility company, which operates in 70 countries, signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with three global union federations IndustriALL, BWI, and...
20 January 2022
Great Britain: the 4-day working week soon to be tested in dozens of companies
Starting in June 2022, some UK employers will be offering staff the chance of a four-day working week while maintaining 100% pay. This is part of a six-month trial devised by the lobby group 4 Day...
20 January 2022
Germany: new ruling coalition proposes its ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ to combat skills shortage
In taking up a long-time trade union call, Germany’s new ‘Tricolour’ government has committed itself by way of the coalition contract to creating an ‘apprenticeship guarantee,’ whereby every young...
Italy: Michelin’s subsidiary innovates on agile work and the right to disconnect
‘Smart workers’ at Michelin Italy will be able to work remotely for up to 60% of their working time, and will benefit from a strictly organised right to disconnect. In addition, and on a one year...
19 January 2022
Great Britain: Google believes in the future of physical offices and invests in several buildings in London
At a time when the pandemic has raised questions over how the usefulness of office space, US tech giant Google has surprised many with its recent purchase of the renowned Central Saint Giles...
19 January 2022
Italy: 2022 budget law contains significant social measures
With a reform of unemployment insurance, measures to facilitate the management of business crises, a tightening of rules on internships for young people and employers who intend to relocate, as...
17 January 2022
Austria: Long Covid, a work-related illness or not?
In Austria a debate is started to emerge on whether or not Long Covid can be classified as an occupational illness. On 09 January 2022 Brigitte Anderl, President of the National Chamber of Labour...
13 January 2022
France: Axa’s Diversity & Inclusion policy rated and published, enabling both ‘comparison’ and ‘progress’
Since 2018, Axa has been using the French start-up Mixity, which specialises in generating diversity & inclusion footprint ratings, to assess the company’s status and progress on criteria...
12 January 2022
United States: Citigroup fires unvaccinated employees
The slender minority of employees at Citigroup who refuse a Covid-19 vaccine will be fired at the end of January. In this way the US financial institution is following the example of internet...
12 January 2022
Germany: controversy surrounding the announced rise in the minimum salary to €12 per hour
On 09 January 2022 and in line with one of the SPD's major election promises, Social Democrat Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, informed the German Dpa news that the legal...
11 January 2022
France: Génération Saint-Gobain is the group’s apprentice training centre set up to match job shortages
Launched in the autumn of 2020 and right in the middle of two Covid-related lockdown periods, the French construction and materials group's internal apprentice training centre has already trained...
Spain: labour market reform on track
On 30 December 2021 the decree-law reforming Spain’s labour market rules was published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE). Parliament still has to approve the text before it can enter into...
5 January 2022
Great Britain: Saga creates paid leave for employees who become grandparents
The 2,500 employees of the specialist over-50’s insurance group will now be able to take a week of paid time off after the birth of their grandchildren. Saga, which introduced the scheme on 09...
5 January 2022
Spain: Just Eat online food platform negotiates agreement that regulates delivery driver work
A pioneering agreement has been negotiated with trade unions that sets out the working conditions of the home delivery drivers for the online food delivery platform Just Eat, along with their...
4 January 2022
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
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
2
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
3
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
4
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
5
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
6
EU: banking sector social partners commit to combating violence and harassment
On 15 January, the trade union federation UNI Europa Finance and three employers’ associations in the banking sector signed a joint statement on preventing violence and harassment in the...