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
France: CDC Habitat defines a framework and means for social dialogue on AI
In an agreement signed on 23 February with trade unions, the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et consignations) Habitat (10,800 employees) guarantees that AI solutions will only...
2
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
3
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
4
United Kingdom: launch of consultation on protection against detriment for industrial action
The British government launched a public consultation on 26 February regarding new protections for workers against "detriment" related to industrial action, scheduled to take effect in October...
12 March 2026
5
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
6
Germany: controversial collective bargaining compliance act adopted
On 26 February, the Bundestag approved the Tariftreuegesetz (collective bargaining compliance act), aimed at strengthening collective agreements and tackling social dumping by tying certain public...
26 February 2026