Germany: cabinet heavily waters down due diligence law National legislation As outlined in the coalition programme agreed in April 2025, the German cabinet on 3 September approved a significantly watered-down version of the country's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). Reporting requirements have been scrapped and sanctions restricted to serious breaches. The compromise, which stops short of either repealing or preserving obligations, has left both employers and NGOs dissatisfied.
Luxembourg: government and social partners reach an agreement on pensions National industrial relations Talks between the government, the Luxembourg Confederation (CLC) and the LCGB and OGBL trade unions ended on 3 September without a full agreement. While a compromise was reached on pension reform, other issues remain unresolved. The government said it would now put forward its own amendments to legislation on Sunday work and shop opening hours.
France: La Poste broadens equality agreement to include LGBT+ people National industrial relations French postal group La Poste, which employs 200,000 people in France, has signed a new professional equality agreement with four trade unions. Covering 2025–2027, it expands efforts to tackle discrimination and introduces new measures on women’s health as well as LGBT+ inclusion in parental support schemes.
United Kingdom: German discount chain Aldi keeps its promise to be the best-paying supermarket Comp and Ben @en The 28,000 British employees of German discount supermarket chain Aldi were handed a 1.9% pay rise on 1 September. In July, the retailer announced that the minimum hourly wage would rise from £12.75 to £13.00 (€14.66 to €14.95),…
Réglementaire New Zealand: employees now allowed to disclose their pay at work National legislation New Zealand has banned retaliation against employees who disclose their salaries at work. The bill, introduced by a Labour opposition MP,…
Norway: range of programmes launched to boost employment National legislation Norway’s Labour government has announced various measures this summer aimed both at tackling workplace crime and improving the integration of young people and those distant from the labour market. The initiative is intended to boost workforce participation and cut reliance on social benefits.
Germany: 10 years on from the great ‘wave’, the integration of refugees into the labour market is largely working National legislation A decade on from Angela Merkel's 'Wir schaffen das' ('we can do this') speech on 31 August 2015, in the face of a sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany, researchers and media outlets are conducting more studies on how well the migrants who arrived in Germany during that period have integrated into the labour market. The findings suggest integration is largely succeeding, despite a tougher economic and political climate.
Réglementaire Czech Republic: minimum wage to rise by 7.7% on 1 January 2026 National legislation Czech labour minister Marian Jurečka, of the Christian and Democratic Union, announced on 29 August that the gross minimum wage will rise 7.7% from CZK 20,800 to CZK 22,400 (€916) per month starting 1 January 2026.…
Poland: state-backed reduced working hours trial launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Poland’s labour ministry on 14 August launched a pilot scheme to test shorter working hours, allowing companies to trial either a four-day week or reduced daily hours. Employers selected for the programme will receive state financial support to help implement the new work arrangements.
Réglementaire Mexico: President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms plan to raise the minimum wage National legislation The minimum wage in Mexico must be raised annually over the next few years to represent 2.5 basic baskets (a set of products and services considered essential for the survival and well-being of a family),…
Poland: state-backed reduced working hours trial launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Poland’s labour ministry on 14 August launched a pilot scheme to test shorter working hours, allowing companies to trial either a four-day week or reduced daily hours. Employers selected for the programme will receive state financial support to help implement the new work arrangements.
UN agencies publish guidelines to protect workers from heat Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 22 August, the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization released a joint report highlighting the rising risks that heat poses to workers amid climate change.…
France: Manpower seeks to raise climate awareness among all its temporary workers Corporate practices Since 22 April, temporary employment agency Manpower has been raising awareness of climate issues among its 70,000 temporary workers in France through a web series, in partnership with Axa Climate, the insurer's subsidiary specialising in climate change adaptation. This programme, which responds to a request from client companies, aims to make them players in the ecological transition within their companies and in their daily lives.
Deutsche Telekom to expand its ‘Growth Hub’ skills management platform globally Training/Professional development German telephone operator Deutsche Telekom is launching the global rollout in 2025 and 2026 of ‘Growth Hub’, its new AI skills and career management platform. For the group, the launch of this new tool marks a further step in the use of artificial intelligence, a technology the implementation of which now comes under DT’s ‘AI Manifesto’, namely a set of rules that will evolve and be negotiated with the company's social partners.
Algorithmic management improves managers’ job satisfaction (study) On 6 February, the OECD published a study on the prevalence of algorithmic management in the United States, Germany,…
A look back at 2024: a shift towards AI regulation With the adoption of a European regulation on artificial intelligence, a first step has been taken towards regulating AI in the world of work. This text, which will come into force definitively on 2 August 2026, subjects the AI systems used to specific risk analysis and management requirements. It has set the ball rolling for member states and organisations and could serve as an example for other jurisdictions such as the United States and Japan.
Germany: cabinet heavily waters down due diligence law National legislation As outlined in the coalition programme agreed in April 2025, the German cabinet on 3 September approved a significantly watered-down version of the country's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). Reporting requirements have been scrapped and sanctions restricted to serious breaches. The compromise, which stops short of either repealing or preserving obligations, has left both employers and NGOs dissatisfied.
United Kingdom: German discount chain Aldi keeps its promise to be the best-paying supermarket Comp and Ben @en The 28,000 British employees of German discount supermarket chain Aldi were handed a 1.9% pay rise on 1 September. In July, the retailer announced that the minimum hourly wage would rise from £12.75 to £13.00 (€14.66 to €14.95),…
Réglementaire New Zealand: employees now allowed to disclose their pay at work National legislation New Zealand has banned retaliation against employees who disclose their salaries at work. The bill, introduced by a Labour opposition MP,…
Luxembourg: government and social partners reach an agreement on pensions National industrial relations Talks between the government, the Luxembourg Confederation (CLC) and the LCGB and OGBL trade unions ended on 3 September without a full agreement. While a compromise was reached on pension reform, other issues remain unresolved. The government said it would now put forward its own amendments to legislation on Sunday work and shop opening hours.
France: La Poste broadens equality agreement to include LGBT+ people National industrial relations French postal group La Poste, which employs 200,000 people in France, has signed a new professional equality agreement with four trade unions. Covering 2025–2027, it expands efforts to tackle discrimination and introduces new measures on women’s health as well as LGBT+ inclusion in parental support schemes.
Data mind RH analysis – Agreements focused on older workers more common in France but still heavily focused on end-of-career arrangements National industrial relations At a time when a bill on the employment of experienced workers is about to be adopted in France, mind RH has analysed French company agreements on the employment of older workers that have been signed since the dedicated national interprofessional agreement (accord national interprofessionnel, ANI) of 14 November 2024. Though our analysis shows that social partners recognise the need to support the employability of workers aged 50 and over, measures to facilitate early retirement remain the preferred option.
Free Looking back at 2023: new inclusion topics emerged Diversity and inclusion were in the spotlight in 2023. This was reflected in Spain, where a law was passed to combat discrimination against LGBTI people and menstrual leave was introduced, as well as in Ireland, where domestic violence leave was introduced. These issues are also gaining ground within companies.
Free Looking back at 2023: initiatives across the board to tackle the skills shortage Amid the shortage of skilled labour, thinking ahead to the professions of the future and securing the skills needed to support business transformation have been among the main concerns of HR departments – as well as European governments – in recent times and numerous initiatives were launched in 2023 to attract and train new sources of talent.
Free Looking back at 2023: a new way of viewing older workers With the retirement age rising and a skills shortage in many parts of the world at present, companies need to learn to change the way they look at older employees and see them as an opportunity. Initiatives have begun to emerge in this area.
Confidentiel [mind RH news] Veolia strikes European agreement on diversity and inclusion Transnational industrial relations Veolia, the French multinational providing water, energy and waste recycling management services, is to sign a European framework agreement on diversity and inclusion with the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It will create a right to paid leave in cases of domestic violence and commits the group to LGBTQ+ rights. The agreement comes as Veolia adjusts to the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and comes at a time when large international companies are renouncing their policies in these areas under pressure from the Trump administration.
Confidentiel mind RH news – Draft global CSR agreement submitted for signature at EDF Transnational industrial relations French energy company EDF and two global trade union federations have struck a draft agreement on social and environmental responsibility, which has been submitted to 16 trade union organisations to be signed before 28 January, mind RH understands. If signed, the text will pave the way for a global social protection floor and a decent wage for the group's 180,000 employees. It will also bring the sustainability due diligence duty and the climate into the scope of social dialogue and regulate the use of subcontracting.
