News

EU: the European Commission is looking into the automotive sector
The European Commission's DG "Employment and Social Affairs" is organizing, on October 17 and 18, 2007, a "restructuring forum" dedicated to the automotive industry. This first forum, dedicated to...
Portugal: temporary work agencies are in the labour inspectorate’s bad books
After many control operations, the General Labour Inspectorate (IGT) suspended the activity of 195 temporary work companies and caused 60 others to shut down. Since the enforcement, in May 2007...
Spain: government and representatives from the judicial system signed an action protocol to support the fight against industrial accidents
The Labour minister and the minister of the Interior signed, with the chairman of the general council of the judiciary and the State public prosecutor, a framework protocol which aims at setting...
France: tight schedule for President Sarkozy’s vast social reforms program
On September 18, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy made the inventory of the social reforms the government will start working on with social partners. The reform of special pension schemes...
Netherlands: ABN Amro employees are worried about their future
Gathered in an extraordinary general meeting on September 20 in Rotterdam, shareholders from the ABN Amro bank have been informed of the two buy-out offers upon the group and of the opinion of the...
EU: European trade unions criticize the “energy package”
The European Public Services Union (EPSU) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) strongly criticized the measures contained in the "third energy package" presented by the European...
Germany: 238.000 temporary workers got a 7.6% wage increase
The Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) and the "grouping for temporary companies' collective interest" (IGZ) signed, on September 19, 2007, a wage agreement planning a 7.6% wage increase...
Germany: painful birth of the universal minimum wage in postal services
After long discussions, the German Council of Ministers (Bundeskabinett) finally decided to extend the law on "posted workers" to postal services. Gradually, this amendment should make mandatory...
Arcelor-Mittal: extension of the world framework agreement, creation of an international works council and adoption of a joint health-security program
Trade union representatives of the Arcelor-Mittal group, brought together by the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) during a world conference organized in Montréal (Canada) on September...
Spain: Catalan rail workers gave a strike notice to protest against the transfer of the suburban train networks management towards the region
Catalan railway workers' trade unions issued a six-day strike notice to protest against the way the transfer of the suburban train networks management from the State to the region is negotiated...
Germany: the Ministers’ Council partially opened the labour market to eastern European engineers
The German Ministers' Council (Bundeskabinett) adopted, on September 19, 2007, a directive making it easier to hire engineers and specialists coming from the European Union's new member States...
Netherlands: a series of social measures for a rigourous budget
On September 18, 2007, the Dutch government announced, as part of the Finance Act for 2008, a series of social measures. The goal is to increase the employment rate in order to preserve public...
Great Britain: the government launched an action plan to reduce the growing number of deadly accidents on construction sites
Trade unions and representatives from the building industry approved the course of action proposed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in order to reduce the number of deaths and...
Spain: arm wrestling between the government and wine-growers about employing illegal workforce from eastern European countries
Grape harvest in the Castilla-la Mancha region are starting this week in a heavy atmosphere, marked by the controversy between employers, administration and trade unions about the employment of...
Belgium: a judgement on internet surfing for private matters
In a judgment from August 29, 2007, the Hasselt labour court rendered an interesting judgment about how to use emails and the internet at work. It approved the dismissal because of serious...
Italy: the national collective agreement for managers in the transport sector is renewed
CONFETRA (general Italian Confederation for Transportation and Logistics) and MANAGERITALIA (national federation of managers, executives and trade, transportation, tourism, services and the...
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1
Spain: new terms and conditions for in-company training contracts
On 25 November, Spain's Council of Ministers approved a regulation on training contracts. This text defines the terms and conditions for hosting work-study students and interns doing professional...
2
France: sectors feel economic slowdown to differing degrees
The latest data on France’s occupational sectors (branches professionnelles), covering the year 2023, show how employment trends are shaping workplace dynamics. After a more favourable period for...
3
Germany: apprenticeship openings fall sharply in manufacturing and chemicals
From 1 January 2026, Dutch collective agreements for temporary employment agencies will alter the employment conditions of temp workers. Agencies will be required to pay these workers at least the...