News

Spain: voluntary departure plan at Renault Spain
The management of Renault Spain is trying to attenuate the shock of its job-shedding plan by proposing 1000 voluntary departures. (Ref. 061281)
EU: labour costs increase by 2.6% over one year
Total hourly labour costs in the UE25 increased by 2.6% in the third quarter 2006, down from 2.8% in the previous quarter, indicated on December 14th 2006, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the...
EU: employment in the EU increases by 0.3% in the third quarter 2006
The number of people working in the EU25 grew by 0.3% (612 000 people), seasonally adjusted, in the third quarter 2006, according to provisional estimates published on December 14th 2006 and based...
Germany: companies begin to promote diversity
After the French and Belgian companies (see story n° 0672), it is now German companies' turn to promote diversity. DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche British Petrol and Deutsche Telekom have...
20 December 2006
Spain: a report stigmatizes the rigidity of the labour market
The Spanish labour market is the most rigid in the European Union, according to a joint study of the Adecco group and the Business School IESE, located in Barcelona. (Ref. 061277)
Germany: companies are increasingly sensitive to family issues
According to a study of the IW research institute of Cologne, presented on December 19 in Berlin, German companies are offering more and more possibilities to their employees to reconcile family...
Great Britain: companies must contribute to their employees’ physical health
Employers must get involved in their employees' health and fight against the sedentary and couchy practices of office life, according to the national Institute of health (NICE), a public health...
Belgium: report 2006 of the higher Council of employment
In its annual report, the higher Council of employment (CSE) insists in particular on the continuation of efforts for the least qualified people. Made public on last 15 December, this report says...
Great Britain: long-term job seekers targeted by the government
The government wants to toughen the conditions of compensation for the 900 000 unemployed people, whereas the country is experiencing important labour shortages and is calling upon hundreds of...
Schneider Electric: a negotiation on the anticipative management of restructurings
The French industrial group Schneider Electric has just launched a negotiation with the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) on the anticipative management of restructurings to accompany the...
Netherlands: new partial opening of borders for Eastern European migrants
e-europnews December 19, 2006, n° 061274- www.eeuropnews.com
According to the ITUC, the World Bank made a step to promote the labor standards
The international trade-union Confederation (ITUC) informed, on December 15th 2006, that "the president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, announced the Bank's decision that, in the future...
18 December 2006
Austria: woman are more and more confined to part-time employment and low wages
Two studies of the federal Chamber of Work show that Austrian women are more and more distant from the labour market, especially since the lengthening of the parental allowance period in 2002...
Spain: the strategy for health and safety at work will be adopted soon, but without a territorial union representative
The Spanish government is set to adopt its strategy for health and safety at work next January. But the creation of a territorial union representative in charge of prevention and health in small...
EU : Five trade unions join the European Metalworkers’ Federation
The European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) has five new members, three coming from EU countries (Belgium, Poland) and two from non EU countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro). (Ref.061270)
EU : Social partners in electricity sector sign new policy statement on health and safety
The sectoral social dialogue committee gathers EMCEF and EPSU for the trade union side, Eurelectric on employers' side. They met on December 12th and notably updated the 1996 statement for health...
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
Pascale Rauline (Axa EWC): “European charter formalises ongoing and accelerated social dialogue on AI”
On 27 November, Axa and its European works council (EWC) signed a charter setting out principles governing the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing social dialogue on the...
2
Germany: crisis-hit industries cast shadow over 2026 bargaining cycle
In 2026, collective wage agreements for nearly 10 million employees in Germany are set to expire. With upcoming negotiations in crisis-hit 'pilot' sectors such as chemicals and metalworking, the...
2 December 2025
3
Bulgaria: government approves bill to encourage sector-level collective bargaining
On 26 November, the Bulgarian government approved amendments to the labour code designed to reinforce the legal framework for sector-level collective bargaining. The reform aims to stimulate...
2 December 2025
4
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
5
Inditex European works council mobilises on value sharing
In a joint statement, 10 trade unions comprising the European works council of the Inditex clothing group are calling for rallies in Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany...
6
Germany: Erwin Hymer Group’s innovative and award-winning AI agreement
Fed up with negotiating separate agreements for each new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, the social partners at Erwin Hymer Group (8,900 employees) have instead secured a broad, overarching...
12 December 2025