News

EU: minimum wage differences remain between member States
In January 2007, 20 of the 27 EU member states had a national legislation establishing a legal minimum wage. It could strongly vary, from 92 euros a month in Bulgaria to 1.570 euros a month in...
Germany: open-end strike started in the building sector in Lower Saxony and Schleswig Holstein
Agreement too high. Arguing the difficulties of the small and medium-size firms in their regions, the two regional associations (members of the ZDB federation) esteem that the federal wage rate...
EU : no-fault liability is not the only way, according to ECJ, to ensure the effective character of the employer’s responsibility for health and safety
The directive defines the scope of responsibility and not the nature of the responsibility.  For the CJEC the directive defines the scope of responsibility but does not define the nature or the...
EADS: interview with Frédéric Agenet, industrial relations’ manager
The EADS group signed, last April, with its European work's council, an intention letter with a view to extending the council's to representatives of employees working in countries located outside...
Atos Origin: the negotiation of the agreement on the European works council (EWC) completed
Meetings. The EWC, composed of at most 35 members, will meet twice a year. Meetings are programmed for at least one day with a preparatory meeting the day before the plenary meeting. The latter is...
Germany: government-financed wage packet for long-term unemployed
Aid of up to 75% of the basic wage. Starting October, the government will finance up to 75% of the basic wage if employers (firms, humanitarian associations, etc) recruit full time a long-term...
Italy: unions are worried about the future of the Italian shipbuilding industry after Fincantieri’s capital opens to the private sector
There is a lot of concern within the Italian shipbuilding sector after Fincantieri, the last large public industry in Italy, decided to open its capital: strikes follow strikes in the group's...
Belgium: according to employers, workforce shortages are threatening growth
The conjectural study presented by the federation of Belgian companies (FEB), is planning a slight slowing down of the growth to 2.5% in 2007 as opposed to 3% in 2006. However, workforce...
EU: the Commission is going to sue States which impose excessive administrative charges to companies posting their staff
The European Commission presented, on June 13, its evaluation of the national measures to enforce the 96/71 directive on the posting of workers. Fourteen months after publishing its communication...
EU: the Commission is blaming Germany for its restriction to the activity of posted workers from new member States
Observing an extremely finicky attitude - and even almost a breach to the directive on workers' posting - Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal...
Germany: wage moderation is not reducing pay differentials between eastern and western Germany
According to the federal statistics agency, working cost in Germany only increased of 1.1% in 2006 (CSV data). In parallel, a study made by the Hans-Böckler foundation (trade unions) shows that...
Germany: the government is launching a program in favour of continuing training
The large coalition government voted, on June 13, 2007, during the Minister's Council, a series of measures aiming at financially helping workers with low income to appeal to continuing training...
Great Britain: 4 extra days annual holidays for 6 million workers
Starting in October, six million people will be entitled to 4 extra days annual paid holidays, with a new 4-day extension planned for April 2009. the government carried out its promise to raise...
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
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
France: Bayer puts female health and inclusive parenthood at the centre of its equality policy
In a new agreement on gender equality highlighted by mind RH, Bayer commits to strengthening its parenthood policy. Furthermore, the company is anticipating pay transparency and introducing...
25 September 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: Volkswagen cancels almost all collective bargaining agreements signed with IG Metall
The Volkswagen brand announced on 30 September that it is terminating 10 of its 13 internal collective bargaining agreements, effective 31 December 2026. The announcement, which the carmaker...
1 October 2026
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Germany: major day of union action in the automotive industry ahead of collective bargaining
A few weeks before the start of collective bargaining in the German metalworking sector, the IG Metall trade union mobilised nearly 175,000 workers across more than 200 industrial sites on 21...
22 September 2026