US: despite recent gains, anti-unionism persists National industrial relations While the signs might suggest that the rate of union penetration is on the up in the US, following the recent creation of unions in several US multinational corporations, the reality of ongoing employer resistance, labour market tightness, weak initiatives from the Biden administration and the difficult political climate would suggest otherwise.
France: digital and consulting sectors to give two days’ leave to women who suffer a miscarriage National industrial relations The business organisation Syntec, which brings together French companies in the digital and consulting sectors, among others, has signed an agreement with all the relevant trade unions on the topic of miscarriage. Signed on 13 December 2022,…
Spain: working conditions in consultancy firms have come under scrutiny National industrial relations Spain’s Labour Inspectorate is studying working hour practices in large audit and consultancy firms at a time when the renegotiation of the sector's collective agreement is in full swing and employers' representatives have asked for 12-hour working days without supplementary salary compensation to be included in the agreement.
France: an agreement to guarantee Uber drivers a minimum income amount per journey National industrial relations On 18 January 2023, two trade unions, two associations for VTC drivers (passenger car with driver) and two organisations representing the online platforms signed a wage agreement guaranteeing a minimum of €7.65 per journey to drivers using the Uber application,…
France: La Poste signs a new agreement on disability National industrial relations La Poste, France's largest employer of people with disabilities, has signed a new agreement on the matter with six trade unions: CGT, CFDT, Sud-PTT, FO, CFE-CGC/CFTC and UNSA-Postes. The group maintains all of its commitments in this area, reinforces the job retention component but reduces the level of investment allocated.
Italy: Vodafone to launch reskilling programme as part of reorganisation National industrial relations The Italian business of telecoms giant Vodafone has signed two agreements with trade unions that have several aims, chiefly to bolster the skills of staff in a sector undergoing constant change and to trial a new hybrid work model. The group will launch a new reskilling programme, which will involve more than 3,900 workers and will harness the public 'New Skills' fund. In addition, agile working – introduced 10 years ago by Vodafone Italy – will be expanded for all workers, with two to three days of remote working per week, depending on the department they work in.
Italy: UniCredit ramps up its generational renewal measures and promotes employees’ purchasing power National industrial relations Italy’s banking giant has just signed several agreements with the trade unions that include provisions for a new early retirement plan, with 850 voluntary departures fully matched by new hires. In addition, the early negotiation of the productivity bonus and a new lump sum for benefits in kind will mean UniCredit group employees in Italy can access up to €2,400 in the coming months.
United States: UAW to represent workers at General Motors battery plant National industrial relations Representatives of the United Auto Workers, the automotive sector trade union, have just won their first victory in the sector of electric vehicle batteries. Employees of Ultium,…
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.
France: the insurance sector commits to quality of life and working conditions National industrial relations On 29 November 2022, the French insurers employers' federation France Assureurs together with four trade unions (CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC, UNSA) signed a three-year agreement on quality of life and working conditions (QWL). The text takes up the national interprofessional agreement on health at work by placing prevention centre-stage as well as proposing tools for companies operating in the insurance sector to make QWL a ‘lever for competitiveness’.
