In Berlin, the European Trade Union Confederation advocates for a four-day week Transnational industrial relations Combating the effects of inflation on wages, fighting for more collective agreements to be signed in all EU countries, but also pushing the option of a four-day working week.…
Italy: agreement on hybrid working for the Generali Group Transnational industrial relations On 20 April, Generali Group, Italy’s global insurance and asset management provider, together with the unions First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca, FNA and SNFIA, signed a smart working agreement that consolidates the so-called post-covid ‘Next Normal’ phase instituted in 2022. In it is provision for three remote working days per week to be made available for most of the staff along with specific terms and conditions for disconnecting from work. The group employs over 13,000 people in Italy.
United Kingdom: taskforce launched to tackle economic inactivity due to ill health Transnational industrial relations Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of individuals in economic inactivity – particularly due to long-term health issues – has risen substantially in the UK, from 8.6 million in 2019 to 9 million in 2022,…
Transnational company agreements: older workers the great forgotten of negotiations Transnational industrial relations At a time when most Western countries are seeking to increase the legal retirement age – to reduce pension scheme deficits or, in some cases, to address skill shortages – mind RH has taken a closer look at the transnational company agreements signed by multinational firms with a view to fostering the employment of older workers within their foreign subsidiaries. Seven agreements have been picked out, most of them European, which focus on the employability and job retention of ageing employees.
Exclusif Teleperformance: global agreement committing to trade union freedom eventually signed after years of conflict Transnational industrial relations On 01 December 2022 French digital business solutions group Teleperformance succumbed and signed a global agreement on social responsibility. The text, which mind RH has obtained, commits Teleperformance both to guaranteeing freedom of association wherever it is poorly guaranteed by law and to complying with due diligence obligations; two issues over which the company has been facing litigation.
Exclusif Interview Laurent Berger (ETUC): “Trade unionism must demonstrate its usefulness” Transnational industrial relations Just ahead of the start of negotiations for a European framework agreement on telework, the president of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Laurent Berger takes this opportunity to share with mind RH the roadmap for the organisation, of which the CFDT is a member. The right to disconnect, monitoring, and health and safety, are but a few of a wealth of the topics for discussion in order to reach an agreement; not least since the last European text on telework dates back two decades to 2002. With just a few months before the end of his mandate, Laurent Berger defends the role of trade unionism and European social dialogue in the face of the increasing number of crises.
Austria: 7.44% pay rise in metal industry Transnational industrial relations The social partners in the largest branch of Austria’s metal industry – the business organisation Metaltechnology Austria (FMTI) and the PRO-GE and GPA trade unions – have struck an agreement on wage increases of between 8.9% and 6.9% across the salary scale,…
Twitter cuts 50% of its workforce Transnational industrial relations One week after buying the social media giant Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk announced some 3,700 job cuts across its global operations, or around half its worldwide workforce, according to Bloomberg. Employees of the California-based group, who are not unionised, have precious few options. However, a class-action lawsuit has already been filed alleging violations of California state law because the 60-day notice period for mass layoffs was not respected.
EU: what change EU telework legislation could affect in Member States European legislation Transnational industrial relations Two and a half years on from the massive shift to remote work as lockdowns were put in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic, many European countries have introduced or updated their legislation on remote work or telework. From the differences of clauses in employment contracts, to unequal financial compensation and the implementation of the right to disconnect, mind RH has scrutinised the regulations introduced by the 27 European Union Member States.
Global Framework Agreement: Carrefour commits to fighting sexual orientation and gender-based discrimination Transnational industrial relations The global union federation UNI Global Union, and French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation Carrefour have announced a second renewal of their global framework agreement on the promotion of social dialogue and diversity.…
