News

Peru: workers strike for better share of income
The authorities have declared the third national strike in Peruvian mines this year was illegal. About 30.000 people went on a strike to ask for better wages and lower retirement age. But the...
France : transposition by the social partners of the European framework agreement on stress at work
The French social partners reached agreement on July 2. At present four unions (CGT, CFDT, FO and CFE-CGC) out of five reacted favorably specifying that they should normally sign it after...
Germany : some of Siemens’ works councils prevent staff advancement until further details concerning the restructuring plan
The leader of the Siemens European works council ( EWC) at Siemens, Walter Mönius, stated that Siemens employees and IG Metall were preparing strong resistance to the job suppression plan...
Bulgaria : a bill to improve the application of the labor code
Improve controls and reinforce sanctions. The bill stipulates that territorial administration of Social Security must notify to the labor inspectorate all employment contracts registered (an...
Spain: strike notice on July 12-15 at Renfe Operadora and Adif
Spanish unions are protesting against the partition of the freight transport from the rest of the Renfe Operadora railway, announced on June 24 by the head of State, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero...
EU: towards a renewed social agenda
On Wednesday, July 2, the European Commission adopted a communication on the new European Social Agenda, which will be on the agenda of the informal Council of the social Ministers on July 10-11...
Gaz de France: CSR agreement for the European companies of the group
On July 2, 2008, the European trade union federations (EPSU, EMF and EMCEF) and all the national trade unions represented within Gaz de France's EWC signed, together with the management, a CSR...
Portugal : postponement of the debate in parliament of the reform of the labor code
An unexpected postponement. The Portuguese government has settled the issue: the debate in the National Assembly will not take place before September (see article n° 080538). The announcement of...
Poland: unions’ way of appointing works council members declared unconstitutional
Seized by the Confederation of Polish employers, the Constitutional Court declared, on July 1, 2008, that the way works council members are appointed – with priority given to the company union –...
Spain: spectacular increase in criminal proceeding against employers failing to fulfill their prevention obligations
The public prosecution has brought 650 managers in court to answer for industrial accidents which happened in 2007. This represents an 86% increase compared to the previous year, and is the result...
Inditex: the Spanish textile group forces a Bangladeshi supplier to rebuild a factory
After the BBC broadcasted a report showing female workers complaining about their working conditions, the Spanish textile group, which owns Zara, got one of its suppliers to rebuild its factory...
2 July 2008
Interseroh: the German group chooses to become a European Company
Announced in September 2007, the transformation of the Interseroh AG group into a European Company (SE) was approved by the shareholders on June 25, 2008 in Cologne during the general assembly. On...
EU: an expert group to follow the development of transnational negotiation
The European Commission has lowered the objective to draw up an optional framework for transnational agreements as part of the Social Agenda for 2005-10 in the working document published on July...
2 July 2008
Great Britain: Equalities Bill presented to Parliament
On June 26, 2008, Equality Minister Harriet Harman set out the main measures of the new Equalities Bill in a Commons statement. Unions are satisfied but experts criticize the introduction of...
EU: social priorities of the French presidency
The French presidency is starting today, and will last six months during which France will decide of the order of the day of political meetings. With the idea of a protective Europe against the...
Spain: the government wants to end the “early retirement culture”
First, Labor Minister Celestino Corbacho wants to limit the possibilities of early retirement rather than delay retirement age. This is one of the major themes of the reform of the social security...
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...