News

Great Britain: private equity bill fails in Parliament
At its second reading in Parliament on March 7, the bill presented by the Labor MP John Heppell which aims at extending to investment funds the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)...
10 March 2008
EU: two reports on gender equality
The European Commission published, on March 8, two studies on gender equality. The first one, entitled "Equality between women and men – 2008", analyzes women's situation on the Labor Market and...
France: new Labor Code to come into effect on May 1, 2008
Whereas the regulatory part of the new Labor Code will soon be published, the whole new Code will come into effect on May 1, 2008. As for the legislative part, it was determined by Ordinance No...
Great Britain: more work-related suicides
According to Hazards Magazine, an occupational health and safety review, 250 kill each other because of work every year. This announcement comes as the House of Lords recognized the employer's...
Poland: social pact between unions and Gdansk’s shipyard buyer
The Ukrainian Industrial Union of Donbass (ISD), which bought out Gdansk's shipyards, signed a social pact, on March 6, 2008, together with the company's unions. The agreement notably plans wage...
Italy: a study on Italian metalworkers’ working conditions
Almost 100.000 workers and employees from the metallurgy sector took part in the national study ordered by the Fiom. The results, recently published, show a "deep malaise" among Italian...
EU: EMF demands “secure planning” for steel and aluminum industries concerning the reduction of CO2 emissions
The European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) supports the demand made by the EU Industry Commissioner, Günter Verheugen, to come to a quick decision regarding which energy-intensive industries are...
Belgium: social partners talking to fight discriminations better
Belgian social partners started, in compliance with their interprofessional agreement for 2007-2008 (see our article No. 061296), talks to revise the labor collective agreement (CCT) concerning...
Belgium: towards more supple entry conditions for foreign posted workers
The Council of Ministers approved, on March 7, 2008, a draft royal decree which clarifies under which conditions workers from a foreign State employed by a company established in the European...
Spain: an important ruling on courts’ competence in matters related to employer’s liability in case of industrial accident
Last January 29, the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled that only social courts are competent for matters related to the employer's liability in case of work-related accident. This ruling...
France: agreement on using French at General Electric Medical System
After a litigation which started in 2005 with all of the staff representatives of the French subsidiary of the North American company General Electric Medical System, the management and the CFDT...
Great Britain: justice confirms offshore workers’ right to paid holidays
On February 21, an Aberdeen Employment Tribunal ruled that, by virtue of the working time regulation, offshore oil workers were entitled to 14 days of annual paid leave. This decision, welcomed by...
Netherlands: study on minimum wage and the liberalization of the postal market
The Dutch government set a new date for the liberalization of the postal market : July 1, 2008, that is a seven-month postponement compared to the original date. It should receive, in March, a...
Germany: the train drivers’ union (GDL) announced unlimited strike from March 10, 2008 on
The longest conflict in the history of German rail, supposed to be over, started up again with even greater intensity. In the aftermath of the flop of the negotiations between the Deutsche Bahn...
Belgium: returning medical exam after sick leave extended to all employees
A Royal Decree of January 27, 2008, published in the Belgian Official Journal on March 3, 2008, allows all employees to get a "pre-return" medical exam. The occupational physician can then talk...
DP World: agreement to establish a EWC in the subsidiary of the shipping company Dubai Ports World
When the shipping company Dubai Ports World (DPW) bought the British shipping company P&O in 2006, an EWC was established for the European employees of the European subsidiary Port and Freezone...
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
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
2
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
3
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
4
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
5
United Kingdom: launch of consultation on protection against detriment for industrial action
The British government launched a public consultation on 26 February regarding new protections for workers against "detriment" related to industrial action, scheduled to take effect in October...
12 March 2026
6
Greece: hospitality sector signs first collective agreement aligned with National Social Pact
The hospitality sector (125,000 employees), one of Greece’s largest industries after retail, signed a new two-year collective agreement on 17 March. The text, effective from 1 April 2026...