16 April 2020
In order to combat the Covid-19 health crisis, 25 of the 100 companies listed on the UK’s flagship FTSE 100 index have cut executive pay, according to a study conducted by the High Pay Centre think tank and the Press Association, which was published on 14 April. The majority of these pay cuts are at the 20% mark, however many groups have gone a step further, such as the hygiene services company Rentokil, the CEO of which reduced their pay packet by 35%. Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, says:...
16 April 2020
Spanish clothing giant Inditex, which owns the retailer Zara, does not plan to make use of the extraordinary temporary lay-off measure (ERTE) that would allow it to claim special aid from the Spanish state, as it deals with the decline in business volumes amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The group’s management has announced to employee representatives that, during the month of April, it alone will bear the cost of closing its 1,580 stores in Spain and the halt to sales. It will therefore pay all salaries during this...
10 April 2020
With demand for telecommunications services having skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic, giant of the UK sector BT has expressed its gratitude to staff by handing a 1.5% pay rise to the majority of its workforce, effective from 1 July. The pay rise goes to 58,000 non-management employees, particularly technicians and call centre workers. Furthermore, BT has promised that none of its employees will lose their jobs over the next three months and that all staff members will still get 100% of their pay, even if...
8 April 2020
In order to lessen the financial impact of the health crisis, audit and consulting firms are looking into the idea of the sabbatical leave option. Thus, professional services firm Grant Thornton has invited its employees to voluntarily choose between one of these two options by April 10, (i) take sabbatical leave until the end of June, during which they will receive 30% of their salary, or (ii) opt for a 40% reduction in their hours and pay until the end of May. Grant Thornton UK said, “These are clearly...
3 April 2020
UK companies are finding themselves having to improvise in the face of the unprecedented Covid-19 health emergency, with some handing bonuses to overburdened staff and others opting to cut executive pay. Across the industries of supermarkets, retail or even financial services, a range of approaches can be observed.
2 April 2020
In a press statement released on 02 April, French food services and facilities management company Sodexo announced, ‘Despite all our efforts, we know that this once-in-a-lifetime crisis currently confronting us will regrettably mean lay-offs for some of our on-site staff in some countries, while strictly adhering to local employment legislation. As a result, we have decided to establish a global Sodexo Employee Relief Program to help on-site staff, who face layoffs.’ The global program will be administered...
1 April 2020
On 26 March 2020, Italian energy company, Enel Group announced an agreement was signed with the professional services and financial risk-mitigation firm Aon SpA to provide a “Covid-19 Insurance Policy” for all its 68,000 employees worldwide. In the press release, it specified that this insurance was specifically designed to meet Enel Group’s needs and that it represented a pioneering initiative aimed at guaranteeing transnational support against the ongoing global health emergency. The policy...
5 February 2020
Fathers in Hungary can avail of five-days of paid statutory leave following the birth of a child. This leave can be taken whole or in several parts but must be used before the child is two months old. Diageo, one of the leading global alcoholic beverages companies, has introduced a family-friendly measure that will see fathers having the opportunity to avail of an additional 26 weeks of leave. The company’s global parental policy provides a standard 4 weeks of leave as well as 26 weeks of maternity leave. The...
14 November 2019
On 08 November, Lidl Suisse, together with the trade unions Syna and the Swiss Society of Commerce Employees (Société suisse des employés de commerce), signed a new collective convention for the period 2020-2024. In it are several departures, including new rights for parents as well as for apprentices and interns. Lidl Suisse employs more than 3,500 staff. Planet Labor had an opportunity to meet and discuss with the secretary general of Syna, Marco Geu.
8 November 2019
Under a new policy introduced by the UK telecommunications giant, male and female employees whose partner has a baby, adopts a child or becomes a parent through surrogacy will be entitled to 16 weeks of paid leave with full pay following the child’s arrival. Effective from next year in some countries, this global policy – which is identical to that already introduced for mothers – will gradually be rolled out by Vodafone across 24 countries by 2021.
