News

Great Britain : costs and benefits of opening all stores on Sundays
The ministry of Trade and Industry, envisaging to completely liberalize the opening of stores on Sundays and Easter weekends, highlights that such measure could trigger a net income of 20 Billion...
Denmark : social system overhaul triggers angriness
The government introduced, on 4 April 2006, am ambitious plan to reform the country's welfare system, in order to face the challenges of globalization and the cost of this system in the future...
General Motors evokes the closing of three European production sites
According to the trade magazine Automotive News Europe, the American manufacturer General Motors could close three of its nine European production sites within two to five years. (Réf. 06479)
Austria: metalworkers and food trade unions merge
The Austrian trade union of textile and metal industries (GMT) and that of agriculture, food and restaurants merged, last 9 May. This new organization, called Gewerkschaft Metall-Textil-Nahrung...
Publication of a report on the transposition of the information-consultation directive
The European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education and Health and Safety (ETUI-REHS) published a report reviewing the transposition of the directive 2002/14/CE in the 25 member States...
Netherlands: more accountability for managers’ salaries
A law of 26 April 2006 will force companies of more than employees to inform; starting 1st August, their work's councils of managers' salaries. Up to now, only the companies which were listed had...
France: new agreement to coordinate the various players of the public employment service
The major players of the public employment service (State, ANPE, Unedic) signed, on 5 May 2006, an agreement on the coordination of their actions. Two major aims: to simplify formalities for the...
Spain : agreement signed on Labour reform
Social partners and the Government signed last Tuesday an Agreement on labour reform. Its very core, its explicit and overriding aim, is to reduce the high rate of fixed-term employment in Spain...
Netherlands : the number of dismissals decreased by 12 % in 2005
According to figures published on last 12 May by the ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, dismissals fell by 12 % in 2005. On a total of 142000 files trated last year by the Center of work...
The German trade union confederation launches an offensive to attract new members
Between 1991 and 2005, the number of members in the eight DGB trade unions, which represents 80% of German trade unionists, has fallen from 12 to 6.8 million. Last week, Michael Sommer, the DGB...
Belgium: the legislation on harassing at work will change soon
Nearly four years after the promulgation of the law of 11 June 2002, the Belgian government presented a project aimed at amending this device by increasing prevention while reducing the risk of...
Great Britain: the government restores the link between the basic retirement pension and wages
This landmark proposal of the Commission on retirement pensions (see our article n° 06332) was signed this Friday May 12 by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. It will restore the link between the last...
Netherlands : discussions on “standardization” in the public sector
In debate since the end of 1980, the "normalization" of working relationships in the public office should lead to a reform standardizing employment contracts in the administration with those of...
Germany: the debate over “combined wages” continues
The debate on the introduction of new devices to fight unemployment continues in Germany. The German right wing presented, at the beginning of week, a model of combined wages aimed at...
Germany: according to a survey, labor costs and regulations limit investments in Germany
According to a survey published Thursday May 11 by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), 41 % of companies envisage to invest abroad in 2006, that is to say 1 % more than in 2005...
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
EU: Commission launches consultation with social partners on quality jobs
On 4 December, the European Commission launched the first phase of consultation with social partners with a view to a European directive on jobs, which is scheduled for the end of 2026. It could...
4 December 2025
2
EDF bans alcohol on all its sites
From 1 January 2026, French energy giant EDF (180,000 employees) will prohibit alcohol consumption at all internal and external corporate events, from social gatherings to seminars. The policy...
26 November 2025
3
United Kingdom: government scraps plan to introduce ‘day one’ protection against unfair dismissal
The UK government announced on 27 November, in a statement, that it would not be introducing the right to challenge unfair dismissal (without cause) from the first day of employment in its...
3 December 2025
4
Poland: bill adopted to amend definition of psychological harassment
On 27 November, the Polish cabinet adopted a draft amendment to the labour code aimed at simplifying the definition of psychological harassment at work, or “mobbing” (Article 94 3)...
4 December 2025
5
EU: MEPs demand directive on algorithmic management
Members of the European Parliament have called for a directive on algorithmic management. Such legislation would introduce obligations for companies to inform employees, assess health and safety...
17 December 2025
6
Austria: European rules on wage transparency expected to cause a cultural shock
With the gender pay gap in Austria being the second largest in the European Union (18.3%), the Austrian government has promised to introduce a bill next spring to transpose the European directive...
27 November 2025