Working time
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Brazil: reduction of the working week from 44 to 40 hours adopted by Parliament
The news. On 14 October, the Brazilian Senate passed the bill reducing the maximum weekly working hours from 44 to 40 by 75 votes to one, following its approval by the Chamber of Deputies in May...
16 October 2026
Germany: Will the unexpected change of Labour Minister slow down reforms?
The news. Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Bärbel Bas (SPD) resigned on Monday 12 October with immediate effect. The reason given was the loss of a close relative. Alexander...
15 October 2026
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
Belgium: Government Proposes Annualised Working Time
The news. On 18 July, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a preliminary draft bill introducing annualised working time, allowing hours to be averaged over a full year rather than on a weekly...
22 July 2026
Luxembourg: extension of retail store opening hours
The news. The new legislation extending opening hours for the retail sector entered into force on 19 June 2026. The law, which was introduced by the government in October 2024, allows retail...
29 June 2026
Germany: government finally unveils the main elements of its working time reform
German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Bärbel Bas has presented a draft bill aimed at making working time regulations more flexible. The proposal would move away from the current eight-hour...
22 June 2026
Brazil: government bill to reduce work week from 44 to 40 hours
The news. On 15 April, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party, left) fast-tracked a bill to Parliament to reduce the maximum working week from 44 to 40...
16 April 2026
Belgium: bill facilitating voluntary overtime submitted to Parliament
On 10 February, the government submitted a bill to Parliament aimed at increasing the number of voluntary overtime hours from 120 to 360. These may be performed without specific justification or...
12 March 2026
Mexico: promulgation of the 40-hour week reform
Approved unanimously by Mexican deputies on 25 February, the reform introducing a 40-hour working week has been published in the Official Gazette. The new working hours will be implemented...
6 March 2026
EU: BusinessEurope sets out deregulation agenda in the social field
BusinessEurope, the main lobby group representing employers and business federations across the EU, has called for a "turning point" in European social policy to help "boost competitiveness" and...
20 February 2026
Argentina: Milei’s landmark labour law reform moves forward
Argentine president Javier Milei’s flagship bill has cleared the Senate after a series of amendments and should be debated in the lower house on Thursday, against the backdrop of a general strike.
18 February 2026
Germany: Chancellor prepares ground for working time law reform
Since mid-January 2026, senior figures in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have reopened debate over Germany’s working time legislation. The party’s...
26 January 2026
Mexico: government proposes introduction of 40-hour week
On 3 December 2025, Mexico’s left-wing government presented its proposed reform for a 40-hour week (compared to the current 48 hours). The bill submitted to the Senate provides for a gradual...
5 January 2026
United States: Republican bills aim to loosen labour laws
On 20 November, the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce passed two Republican-backed bills that would allow employers to compensate overtime with paid time off and...
21 November 2025
Greece: parliament adopts 13-hour working day
Greece’s parliament approved a bill to liberalise labour rules on 16 October. The legislation allows employers to hire more easily, expands overtime, and permits working days of up to 13 hours...
- HR
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21 October 2025
France: when working time is calculated on a weekly basis, overtime must take into account paid holiday (ruling)
In a 10 September ruling, the labour chamber of France’s Court of Cassation found that when working time is assessed weekly, employees may still qualify for overtime pay even if paid leave...
- HR
- News brief
12 September 2025
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: following the post-Covid boom, large companies scale back on remote working
In the post-pandemic context, large French groups multiplied generous remote working agreements before reversing the trend from 2024 onwards. What is the extent of this phenomenon? mind RH...
29 October 2026
2
Germany: Employers’ representatives seek to limit the rights of works councils
The Employers' Federation of German Employers' Associations (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände - BDA) published a report at the end of September in which it proposes a...
8 October 2026
3
France: National Assembly votes for mandatory bargaining on sexual and gender-based violence
The news. On 8 October, French MPs voted to extend the scope of mandatory annual negotiations to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In practice, in addition to pay, working hours and...
9 October 2026
4
France: Iliad structures its skills management around AI
The news. On 9 April, Iliad (11,600 employees in France), the parent company of telecoms operator Free, concluded an agreement on jobs and career path management with its representative trade...
21 October 2026
5
France: how CDC Habitat aims to better promote the expertise of its employees
The housing division of the French public group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, CDC Habitat (10,800 employees), established new measures on skills in July. They are set out in two agreements...
15 October 2026
6
France: La Poste strengthens regional management of jobs and skills
La Poste’s 2026-2028 agreement on the management of jobs, professional pathways and gender diversity in occupations puts the emphasis on supporting mobility and career changes, relying on a...
22 October 2026