News

Hungary: a judgment on lawfulness of a strike organized by railway workers
At the beginning of February 2008 the Independent Union of Rail Men (VDSZSZ) organized a strike in the railway sector. On the one hand, the VDSZSZ demanded a 10 % wage increase from July 1 of 2007...
Great Britain: government urged to take action about equal opportunities for women at work
Whereas a parliamentary report is asking the government to increase its action in favor of women's equal opportunities at work, the Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman, explained...
Netherlands: more flexible work for seniors
Piet Hein Donner, Dutch Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, wants to facilitate part-time work for people over 65. A bill will be presented to Parliament by the end of April to introduce...
Germany: 5.2% wage increase for 85.000 steel workers
The IG-Metall union and the steel employers' federation (Stahl) signed, in the night between February 19 to February 20, 2008, a substantial wage agreement. The 85.000 employees concerned will get...
EU: the European Commission reveals the consultation document on the revision of the EWCs directive
The European Commission published, on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, the consultation of the European social partners document on the revision of the directive on European works councils. It...
Ireland: negotiations on the social pact should be tough
On February 15, the Prime Minister, Berie Ahern, gathered social partners for a first plenary session which marked the beginning of the negotiations to evaluate the pact "Towards 2016" (see our...
Spain : the fashion sector mobilizes to promote the corporate social responsibility
Specific measures for small firms. The participants also recalled that CSR policies are a necessity not only in third countries but also in Spain and Portugal where a host of small workshops...
20 February 2008
Generali: the insurance group consolidates the EWC
On December 18, 2007, the Italian insurance group Assicurzzioni Generali (61.000 employees, 56.000 in Europe) renewed, after adopting a "European social charter for the Generali group" (see our...
EU: the EU’s future French presidency wants to “give a fresh impetus to social Europe”
After a meeting with French and European social partners, on February 19, Xavier Bertrand, the French Labor Minister, announced the broad lines of the social program of the EU's future French...
Italy : first meeting of social partners on the reform of the collective agreement model
“A good start” commented Guglielmo Epifani, CGIL general secretary at the informal meeting on February 18 with Confindustria. He announced that the real negotiation will start on February 21 with...
Italy: the Prodi government wants to adopt legislative decrees on occupational health and safety before Parliament is dissolved
Despite its downfall, the Prodi government continues developing legislative decrees for the "Testo Unico" on occupational health and safety which it was assigned through article 1 of the law 123...
Danske Bank Group: agreement for the creation of a European Works Council
The management of the banking group Danske Bank (24.000 employees) and the special negotiation body gathering staff representatives from 12 European countries reached an agreement, on December 10...
Spain: fewer deadly industrial accidents
The number of deadly industrial accidents decreased by 12.6% compared to 2006. According to the Ministry of Employment figures, 884 people died on their workplace last year, as opposed to 966 in...
Finland: employers and unions signed an agreement on stress at work
Finnish social partners presented, at the beginning of February 2008, a collective agreement which sets a general framework for local negotiations concerning the fight against stress on the...
Germany: unprecedented tax evasion revives debate on leading executives’ ethics
A few months only after a controversy on executives' wages, the German economic elite are again in the limelight. According to the online edition of the daily Spiegel (February 18), the...
19 February 2008
Great Britain: TUC dismantles preconceived ideas on agency workers to support bill on temporary work
Whereas the campaing launched several months ago in favor of the improvement of agency workers' rights is intensifying, the Trade Union Confederation just published a list of preconceived ideas on...
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EU: co-legislators strike agreement on Omnibus Directive
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EU: Parliament formally adopts omnibus, diluting due diligence rules
On 16 December, the European Parliament formally approved the omnibus package amending the EU corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence directives. Their application has been pushed...
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Italy: three executives from luxury goods group Tod’s investigated over worker exploitation
Italian authorities are once again turning their attention to working conditions in the luxury goods supply chain. On 20 November, the Milan public prosecutor charged three senior executives of...
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Fashion brands accused of violating trade union freedoms in Asia
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