EU: Jobs and Social rights absent from the composition of the Commission European legislation On 17 September, Ursula von der Leyen, the conservative President of the European Commission, unveiled the responsibilities of the 27 proposed Commissioners. Nicolas Schmit, who ran against her for the Socialists &…
Réglementaire EU: Draghi report on competitiveness urges investment in vocational training and deregulation European legislation On September 9, former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi presented his report on European competitiveness, commissioned a year ago by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The report proposes ways of tackling two major issues: the lack of skills and the administrative "burden" on businesses.
Italy: retail sector collective agreement introduces new professional profiles National industrial relations The collective agreement for Italy's mass market retail sector has finally been renewed, five years after its predecessor expired. The main new feature is an overhaul of the job and salary grid to reflect changes in the sector, particularly due to the rise of e-commerce and digitalisation. The collective agreement, which covers some 220,000 workers in major retail chains, also provides for an average pay rise of €240, and measures to promote equality and part-time workers.
France: La Poste commits to harnessing skills acquired by caregiving employees National industrial relations On 12 July 2024, French postal service group La Poste signed a new agreement with the CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC and UNSA trade unions to support its 5,200 postal workers who provide care. The agreement seeks to make it easier for staff to organise their work and grants days off to employees who have relatives with disabilities or who are losing their independence, as well as to employees who are parents of children with serious illnesses. Above all, it provides for recognition of the skills acquired through caring.
Exclusif How Crédit Agricole is harnessing partnership with LinkedIn Learning to accelerate its transformation Professional development The French banking group and LinkedIn have set up an unprecedented partnership that will give employees access to 24,000 training courses on the platform. Using generative artificial intelligence, the group's staff will be offered training based on the skills that match their career plan. The aim is twofold for Crédit Agricole: to succeed in making employees players in their own careers and to pre-empt changes in skill needs, particularly in the face of digital transformation. Bénédicte Chrétien, Crédit Agricole's group HR director, and Fabienne Arata, head of LinkedIn in France, talk about the experience.
Exclusif France: Schmidt’s HR department at heart of group’s green “strategic shift” Professional development Schmidt Groupe, which specialises in the design of living spaces and was awarded the 'B Corp' label at the end of 2023, put sustainability at the heart of its strategy at the start of the year. The human resources department is working with a new sustainable transformation department to train employees, adapt business lines to a more virtuous model and get franchisees and subcontractors on board.
Réglementaire EU: re-elected, Ursula von der Leyen unveils agenda for new term in office European legislation On 18 July, the European Parliament approved Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for re-election as president of the European Commission until 2029,…
United Kingdom: workers’ rights at the heart of the King’s speech National legislation At the opening ceremony of the UK parliament this morning, King Charles III outlined in his speech the legislative programme of the new Labour government led by Keir Starmer.…
Luxembourg: €500 bonus for banking sector employees in 2025 National industrial relations After six months of difficult negotiations, the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Aleba, LCGB and OGBL trade unions announced on 11 July that they had reached an agreement on the renewal of the collective agreement for the banking sector,…
Exclusif How Engie is anticipating its global skill needs three years ahead of time Professional development In 2023, French energy giant Engie launched a global programme to pre-empt its skill needs for the following three years. After surveying each of its global business units, Engie has set up a recruitment and training action plan, focusing on sales, hydrogen and biogas-related professions. The approach is unprecedented and has necessitated a dedicated structure for each business and geographical location.
