News

EU: the European social partners expressed their point of view concerning the ongoing files
On Thursday, July 10, on the periphery of the informal meeting of the European labor ministers – the first social meeting organized by the French presidency of the EU – the European social...
Germany: last minute collective agreement for trade employees after 18 months of conflict
For a year and a half, Verdi, the services' union, has been bargaining with the trade federations of several German Lander to reach a collective agreement affecting 2.7 million employees. The...
Sweden: new anti-discrimination law
The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) adopted, on July 4, 2008, a new anti-discrimination law which will come into force on January 1, 2009. It is an update and an overhaul of of the current...
Italy: Fiat to temporarily lay off thousands of employees in its Italian factories from August onwards
The car manufacturer Fiat sent to unions, on July 7, 2008, its decision to appeal to "social shock absorbers" in most of its Italian factories to compensate the 4-6 weeks of temporary cessation of...
EU: the CJEC states there can be direct discrimination in the absence of a victim
The Court of Justice of the European Communities gave a judgement on July 10, in a case where an employer said in a public statement that he would not recruit immigrants. According to the Court...
Denmark: unions and employers disagree on the establishment of a commission for equal pay between men and women
The LO confederation is having a hard time adopting a position with a view to establishing a commission for equal pay, which public service strikers requested last spring. But the government...
Germany: the IG Metall goes on the offensive a few months before the start of the electoral campaign
Whereas the pilot negotiations between the IG Metall union and employers concerning the funding of grdual retirement beyond 2009 are at a standstill, the IG Metall presented, on July 9, 2008, a...
Sweden: important reform of daily sickness allowances
For its 2008 budget, the Swedish center-right government set as a priority the fight against absenteeism on the grounds of sickness and early retirement for incapacity for work. In the Spring, it...
Scor: the joint committee of the reinsurer’s European companies wants to propose alternatives to the 200 job cuts announced by the management
Denis Kessler, CEO of the reinsurance company, announced 200 job cuts, taking by surprise European staff representatives, which are now getting ready to propose alternatives and suggestions about...
Dexia: the group will become a European Company
The board of the Franco-Belgian bank Dexia (35.200 employees), approved, on July 3, the plans the changes in the operational organization of Dexia presented by the Group's Management Board. The...
Germany: the revision of the EWC directive arouses controversy
Adopted on July 2, 2008 by the European Commission (see our dispatch No. 080553), the proposal for the revision of the EWC directive was heavily criticized in Germany. The German Confederation of...
Corporate practices: Daimler’s “production learning system” to fight against the impact of demographic ageing
Introduced in 2004 in the Mannheim factory, the "Produktion Lern System" allowed to quicken and dynamize training courses and processes on an industrial site faced with many experienced workers...
9 July 2008
International: Latin-American unions criticize the “return” directive adopted by the EU
Public outrage on the American continent against the European directive concerning the return of illegal third-country nationals. Reactions are particularly bitter in Latin America: unions and...
Italy: the CISL shuts a training institute down for embezzlement
The IAL (Istituto addestramento lavoratori – the CISL's training institute) shut its Abruzzo (central Italy) regional structure, which is subject to an investigation on embezzlement. This scandal...
Germany: Siemens gives details about 16.750 job cuts
On Tuesday, July 8, Peter Löscher, CEO of Siemens, announced that his company intended to cut 16.750 jobs, 5.250 of which in Germany, by 2010. The plan mostly concerns the administrative and sales...
EU: the regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations was published in the OJEC
Published in the European Journal of the European Communities on July 4, regulation 593/2008 integrates into Community Law the Rome I convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations...
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
Import bans on forced labor products are multiplying
Under pressure from new US tariffs, many countries have presented texts in recent weeks to ban the import of products made with forced labor. A real breakthrough for workers' rights or a mere...
9 September 2026
2
France: EDF served formal notice for failure to comply with its sustainability due diligence obligations
The news. On 23 September, Greenpeace France announced that it had served EDF with a formal notice for failure to comply with its sustainability due diligence obligations due to the risks of harm...
24 September 2026
3
Slovakia: a bill to “clarify” personal data protection measures
The news. The Slovak government approved a bill on personal data protection on August 26, 2026. This text aims to clarify existing regulations regarding employees’ rights and...
7 September 2026