News

Spain: CCOO campaigning to defend trainees
The workers' commissions union launched the campaign "are you working or studying?" to fight against abuses some trainees are subject to in businesses. The goal is to make aware over 100.000 union...
Germany: Verdi won in court against Edeka
After a decree on December 11, 2007 at Nuremberg-Furth's regional court, seized by the services' union Ver.di, the regional variety store "Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen" will, in the future...
Germany: chemistry and metal unions present their claims for 2008 tariff negotiations
Putting forward the German chemistry's good health, the IG BCE union said, on December 12, 2007, in Hanover, that it would ask between a 6.5 and 7% wage increase for the approximately 550.000...
EU: the EMF published a comparative note on national legislations about setting up special negotiating bodies
The European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) developed a comparative note with 30 national legislations transposing the directive 94/45 on European works' councils regarding the introduction of the...
Italy: renewal of the economic part of the national collective agreement in chemicals sector
By anticipating the end of the collective agreement in effect, planned for the end of December 2009, social partners from the chemicals and pharmacy sectors renewed, on December 6, 2007, the...
Luxembourg: implementation of the directive on working time in road transport
The Parliament adopted, on December 6, 2007, a law to implement the Directive n° 2002/15 of 11 March 2002 on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport...
EU: the CJEC rules on unions’ right to act against social dumping
In the Viking case concerning unions' right to act to force an employer to apply a collective agreement, the Court recognized that a union's right to take a collective action is a fundamental...
Italy: directives from the Labour Ministry to clarify some provisions of the “123 law” on safety
After the interpretation difficulties of the "123 law" of August 3, 2007 (see our article n° 070690) on safety in the workplace pointed out by the INAIL (National Institute of insurance against...
EU: the CJEC compared equal pay for equal working hours to reveal gender discrimination
In a case concerning a national pay system which leads part-time workers – notably women – to be less paid than their colleagues working full-time whereas they work, with extra hours, the same...
Netherlands: bonus to work from home
Deputies from the Christian Democrat Call (CDA), in power, proposed on December 7, 2007, the introduction of a tax-exempt bonus to encourage employees work at home. The goal is to reduce traffic...
Great Britain: more and more people work over 48 hours a week
A study by the trade union confederation TUC reveals a significant increase in the number of people working more than 48 hours a week whereas figures had been decreasing for ten years. For the TUC...
EU: the Commission wants to adapt the legislation on the coordination of social security schemes with new forms of mobility
In a communication published on December 10, 2007, about a new action plan to promote employment mobility in Europe, the European Commission announced its work plan to tackle the issues raised by...
Germany : Angela Merkel’s government sticks to minimum wage in postal services
Threats of dismissals. On December 4, Pin, owned by the editor Axel Springer, had announced the need to lay off at least 1000 out of 9000 workers as a consequence of the expected introduction of a...
Netherlands: liberalization of the postal market postponed after the introduction of a minimum wage in the German post
The liberalization of the postal market, planned for January 1, is postponed. Mentioning the introduction of a minimum wage in the German post (see our article No. 070983), the State Secretary of...
Germany: IG Metall and BMW sign an agreement establishing wage equality between temp and permanent workers
The Bavarian section of the IG Metall union and the car manufacturer BMW signed, on December 3, 2007, an agreement which grants temp workers the pay negotiated for the branch, and that from the...
EU: European social partners evaluate the enforcement of their framework of actions on gender equality
European Social Partners (BusinessEurope and CEEP for employers, ETUC for unions) published their second report on the establishment of the framework of actions on gender equality. This report...
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
AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...
2
France: Ministry of Labour unveils plan to accelerate the rollout of AI
On 22 September, the French Ministry of Labour presented a plan named Impulsion IA 2027 aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI by companies and employees. It contains 12 measures applicable from...
3
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
4
Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages
The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...
5
Denmark: introduction of a professional ID card for construction site workers
The news. On 3 September, the Danish Parliament adopted a bill introducing a mandatory professional ID card for people working on large construction sites. The card will include, among other...
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UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union
The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...