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08/02/2010 Italy: a job as prize in a supermarket contest

Italian supermarkets found a firm marketing argument to increase their customers' loyalty: they offered a job as the jackpot of their drawing games. After great success at local level, this ...

08/02/2010 France: summary of the social partners' work at cross-industry level

Union and employers' organizations are still working on the social projects started in 2009. The key fieldworks of these negotiations, which are going to last until next spring, include employment, ...

08/02/2010 Germany: IG-Metall wants to bargain for collective agreements two months early

The IG-Metall's two major regional federations (Bade-Wurttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia) officially announced that they wanted to start bargaining for sectoral collective agreements two months before they expire (March 31). The ...

08/02/2010 Spain: government presents draft labor market reform

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero presented to the social partners, on Friday, February 5, the government's proposals to revive the labor market. The document, entitled "Action line for the labor market ...

05/02/2010 Sweden: Sandvik's new company agreement provides for 500 leaves, including about 100 for demotivated or low-skilled workers

Since the crisis agreement negotiated in June 2009 is nearing its end, Sandvik, world equipment leader, negotiated with unions indirect means to have 500 collaborators leave. One of the planned ...

05/02/2010 Netherlands: Parliament criticizes plan to limit severance pay for high wages

On February 3, the Parliament rejected the bill introduced by the Minister for Labor and Social Affairs, Piet Hein Donner, aimed at limiting to one year's salary severance pay for ...

05/02/2010 Chile: new public agency to validate workers' professional skills

The Chilean government presented a new agency, "Chile Valora", which will put together and issue certificates taking stock of workers' professional skills. The evaluation process will be carried out at ...

05/02/2010 Spain: unions angered by the government's tactlessness on the pension case

The "Stability Program Spain 2009-13" sent by the government to Brussels turned unions and people's heads upside down. In this document, the government expressed its will to bring from 15 ...

05/02/2010 Germany: works councils will be elected from March 1 to May 31

Between March 1 and May 31, millions of German workers will elect their WC representatives. Governed by the Work Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz), these elections are held every four years at ...

04/02/2010 EU: evolution of the employment market in telecoms by 2020

Our third synthesis of the sectoral studies ordered by the European Commission as part of its reflection on "New Skills for New Jobs" looks into telecoms. The study lists for ...