News

The European Council adopts its common position on the “services” directive
The European Council has adopted on 24 July its common position on a draft on services in the internal market. The common position, which looks a lot like the first reading of the European...
EU: Commission proposal on reduced rate of VAT for services with high level of labor
The European Commission proposed, on July 25, to allow 17 Member States to apply or maintain a lower rate of VAT until 31 December 2010. This proposal implements the provisions of directive...
Great Britain: the result of wage negotiations is below inflation
The wage increases negotiated during the second quarter of 2006 -an average rate of 3%- are lower than inflation, according to Industrial Relation Services (IRS), specialized in employment issues...
Spain : the government plans to grant unemployment benefits to self-employed workers
The new law envisages to grant temporary subsidies to self-employed workers who are out of work. But the government lays down two conditions: this category will have to be mostly favourable to the...
Germany: adoption of a law on the working hours of lorry drivers
The Parliament adopted, on July 7th, a law setting new working time rules for lorry drivers and bus drivers. The maximum work week is now 48 hours and can go up to 60 hours on average over a four...
Credit Agricole group : a European work’s council will soon be created
The French banking group plans to launch a negotiation in order to set up a European work's council. A first meeting of the special group of negotiation is envisaged at the end September. (Réf...
The first European Cooperative society has been established
Just a few weeks before the deadline for the transposition of the directive on workers' involvement in European cooperative societies (ECS), the first ECS was established in Italy on 6 July. (Ref...
Belgium: a bill on the refund of training courses paid by the employer
The Council of Ministers of July 21 adopted a bill amending the law of July 3, 1978 relating to employment contracts, which frames the so-called "schooling" clauses . These clauses allow the...
Great Britain: a bill on corporate manslaughter
The government has submitted to Parliament, on Friday July 21, its long-expected bill on fatal accidents at work. The text, called "Corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide Bill", introduces...
Netherlands: employees’ rights during the heat wave
In a country where the average temperature usually reaches a maximum of 17 degrees in July, the heat wave which is prevailing since July 11 is becoming worrying. (Réf. 06754)
EU: the Commission announces its work program for autumn
Whereas European institutions have started their summer break, the European Commission departments published a forecast diary of the main events of next autumn, with especially a green book on the...
Germany: the SPD puts pressure in favour of a minimum wage
In an interview to the German weekly magazine "Der Spiegel", an SPD executive, Ludwig Stiegler and a labour market expert, Klaus Brandner, propose a mechanism of minimum wage. (Réf. 06751)
Netherlands : the project to put “assisted” people back to work proves highly controversial
The proposal made by Henk van Hoof, the Secretary of State for social Affairs and Work, to put back to work the long-term recipients of social assistance (see article 06737) is being severely...
The CJEC recognizes the integration of pensions in the basis for calculating contributions, even when they are paid by another Member State
The Court of Justice of the European Communities (CJEC) found that the integration of pensions paid by another Member State in the basis for calculating contributions in the residence State was...
Poland: social dialogue has trouble starting
Promises not kept, no real negotiations, but that’s not all : another obstacle is the weakness of trade unions. With 1.200.000 members, for 17 million active people, the two major trade unions...
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
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
2
Germany: legal battle at Tesla ahead of works council election
The Frankfurt/Oder labour court has postponed a mid-November hearing in the case between the IG Metall union and Michaela Schmitz, employee representative and head of the works council at the...
3
Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...
4
AI-driven job cuts on the rise in tech sector
As leading tech companies ramp up investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and roll out transformation plans to boost its development, layoffs across the sector are increasing. But are the job...
7 October 2025
5
France: generative AI and older workers central to BPCE’s skills management strategy
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...
6
France: austerity measures proposed in social security financing bill for 2026
Limits on sick leave, the end of social security exemptions for apprentices, and the introduction of additional birth leave: the 2026 social security financing bill, presented to parliament on 14...
16 October 2025