RĂ©glementaire EU: negotiations over framework agreement on telework terminated Transnational industrial relations After giving themselves two weeks to reflect and agree on a compromise, European social partners formally terminated negotiations on 9 November, one year after they began. The unions are blaming the attitude displayed by the employers' side, even though the social partners had agreed on the principle of a negotiated directive on telework and the right to disconnect.
RĂ©glementaire Portugal: the amount of exempted monthly teleworking expenses is set at €22 National legislation On 18 September 2023 Portugal’s government issued an ordinance setting the limit for tax- and social security-exempt allowances paid by companies to teleworkers.…
Réglementaire Luxembourg: introduction of new family leave periods for employees National legislation During the summer 2023 two laws were published in Luxembourg's Official Gazette aimed at facilitating employees’ work-life balance. Specifically, two new leave entitlements for employees assisting family members have been introduced alongside additional opportunities for flexible working. The right to a leave period on the birth of a child has also been extended to the person being recognised as the second parent.
Great Britain: Tesco makes flexible working available to staff as of their first day of employment Recruitment/Employer branding/employee loyalty Since 03 August 2023, new employees of supermarket giant Tesco have been able to apply for flexible working right from their first day of work. Prior to this staff had to complete the statutory 26 weeks of contractual work before being eligible for this opportunity.Â
Chile: draft legislation introduces hybrid work for parents and carers National legislation On 17 July, and with a view to securing prompt adoption, the bill aimed at improving work-life balance,…
Italy: Intesa Sanpaolo agreement has been signed on the four-day working week and hybrid working  National industrial relations The agreement signed between Intesa Sanpaolo and the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions augments measures Italy's leading bank has been implementing since January 2023. In it, notably the four-day working week and agile working are to be trialled in a considerable number of the banking network’s branches, and conditions surrounding the right to disconnect are also clarified. Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy's largest private employer, with 74,000 employees.
Italy: TIM (formerly Telecom Italia) defines new hybrid working arrangements National industrial relations Improving the efficacy of hybrid work and saving energy by office closures and Fridays are the main objectives of the agreement that was signed on 22 November at Italy’s telecommunications giant TIM. This agreement potentially affects 32,000 employees who can work remotely from a total of the 42,000 staff employed by the group in Italy.
Free Poland: draft legislation proposed to combat alcoholism in the workplace and provide the basis for remote working National legislation On 07 June a bill amending the Labour Code was submitted to Poland’s lower house of Parliament (Sejm), which enables employers to utilise preventative means to curb employee alcoholism.…
Free Portugal: piloting the four-day working week National legislation Portugal is set to launch a pilot experiment to study new work organizations, which include the four-day working week and the use of hybrid working models (in-presence combined with telework).…
BNP Paribas signs its European charter on telework Transnational industrial relations On 06 April, the French banking group, together with the UNI Europa Finance trade union federation, the European Federation of Credit Institution Executives (FEDEC), and the bank’s European Works Council signed a common telework framework for the group’s 22 EU countries operating in the EWC’s scope. The charter provides an opportunity to define teleworking schemes comprising up to 2.5 days of teleworking per week and proposes four compensation packages for the group's 132,000 employees in Europe.
