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Great Britain: banking group Barclays trials staff ‘surveillance’ software
Barclays, one of the UK’s largest banks, has incurred the wrath of some of its staff in recent days after it installed software on their computers to assess their time spent working and their...
24 February 2020
Germany: collective agreements in 2019 marked by rise of ‘options models’ for working time
The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) at the Hans Böckler trade union foundation, which manages the organisation’s collective agreement database, has recently published its summary...
20 February 2020
Great Britain: UK’s points-based immigration system unveiled
In the evening of 18 February the UK government revealed new immigration and visa rules that will come into operation after the UK’s EU exit transition period comes to an end. The future system...
19 February 2020
Germany: metallurgy sector companies are struggling with complex working time options
The Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW) that is financed by the Gesamtmetall employers’ confederation has surveyed almost 800 companies to determine how well new labor options have been...
19 February 2020
Spain: repeal of labor law article authorizing employment termination on grounds of repeated periods of sick leave
Spain’s government has repealed an article in the Labor Code that allows for employment contract termination on the grounds of accumulated work time absences, even when the absences are...
19 February 2020
Telenor: renews the global agreement with UNI Global Unio
On 14 February, Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor ASA signed a new global agreement with UNI Global Union that runs for three years and introduces several new provisions pertaining to...
18 February 2020
Saint-Gobain introduces social protection program worldwide
On 13 February the French construction materials company launched its “CARE by Saint-Gobain” social protection program that will provide specific minimum cover for all the Group’s more than...
18 February 2020
Italy: Fastweb telecommunications company lowers working time while keeping salaries unchanged
According to a company agreement signed on 06 February, the number of hours in the working week for many of Fastweb’s employees will fall from 40 to 38. This is a landmark move for a sector facing...
17 February 2020
Mexico: regulation of outsourcing causes division amid debate in parliament
The regulation of outsourcing (the subcontracting of workers or “terciarización”) is a well-worn topic in the Mexican world of work. The issue has now entered a decisive phase, however, as some...
17 February 2020
Spain: USO trade body shuns Solvay policy that recognizes competences acquired as part of staff representative mandates
In what appears to be a real culture clash, the USO trade body is criticizing the Charter agreed between management at the chemical company and its European Works Council, over recognition for...
17 February 2020
Denmark: new collective agreement reached in industry
On 9 February, the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Central Organisation of Industrial Employees in Denmark (CO-industri) struck a deal on a new collective agreement for industry. The...
14 February 2020
EU: the European Commission withdraws part of trade tariff preferences granted to Cambodia due to human rights violations
On 12 February the European Commission announced it was withdrawing some trade tariff preferences accorded to Cambodia because of ‘serious and systematic violations of the human rights principles...
- HR
- CSR
13 February 2020
Spain: agreement at PSA for the Vigo and Madrid facilities
Agreements have just been signed for two PSA facilities in Spain. They both contain the same salary increase framework that depends on the Group’s European earnings, and a similar mechanism in...
12 February 2020
Spain: coffee and cigarette breaks can be omitted from working time calculations
Spain’s National High Court’s social chamber ruled that coffee, sandwich, and cigarette breaks can be omitted from working time calculations. The ruling came down in favor of the defendant Galp...
12 February 2020
Brazil: 10-day old Petrobras strike action extends across the whole country
Since 01 February, Brazil’s semi-public Brazilian multinational corporation, Petrobras has been hit with strike action that has now extended to almost 90 of its industrial sites (oil platforms and...
11 February 2020
Franco-German initiative for ‘in-house’ apprenticeships in industry, with greater focus on digital and language skills
The Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFACI) and the French branches of four large German chemicals groups (BAYER, BASF, Merck and Boehringer) have teamed up to create a joint...
6 February 2020
Our mind news
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...
5 March 2026
Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.
29 January 2026
The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...
8 December 2025
In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...
31 October 2025
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: Yves Rocher convicted of breach of duty of vigilance for infringement of freedom of association
The specialised chamber of the Paris Judicial Court convicted Yves Rocher on 12 March for breaching its duty of vigilance. The group was sued by Turkish employees dismissed in 2018 by a subsidiary...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
12 March 2026
2
2026 TRENDS – CSR: A strategic asset for European companies?
mind HR is looking ahead at the trends set to shape 2026. Sustainability policy remains in flux after a year of CSR rollbacks across Europe. Companies are calling for greater predictability and...
3
Germany: a corporate group supports local political engagement via its “Democracy Charter”
Large corporations in the Hesse region, surrounding Frankfurt, are defending local democracy by enabling employees to volunteer in local public life through an initiative dubbed the "Democracy...
4
EU: Council adopts position on simplifying AI rules
The Council of the EU approved its position on 13 March regarding the “omnibus regulation” proposal, published last November by the Commission to simplify the AI Act. Confirming the...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
20 March 2026
5
Spain: business support package to tackle the economic impact of the Middle East conflict
The Spanish government approved a series of measures on 20 March to support companies facing rising energy prices. In return, these businesses are prohibited from making redundancies for economic...
6
United States: Coca-Cola subsidiary sued by the administration over women-only event
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on 18 February that it is launching federal proceedings against Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast for “sex-based...
- HR
- CSR
- News brief
6 March 2026