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.
Spain: minimum salary level raised 8% National legislation The minimum wage floor has risen to €1,080 gross per month over 14 months, representing 60% of the average wage in Spain, as recommended by the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages. The minimum level has thus been raised by 47% over the last five years as the gap narrows compared to the legal minima applying across the rest of the European Union.
Schneider Electric develops the ‘career conversation’ to enable older workers express their career choices Professional development Le spécialiste des équipements électriques a lancé, courant 2021, un programme mondial dédié aux salariés de plus de 50 ans, afin de mobiliser leur potentiel et les accompagner dans leurs souhaits d’évolution tant professionnelle que personnelle. Au cœur du dispositif, “la conversation de carrière” : un échange approfondi entre le senior et son manager pour aider ce dernier à formuler ses attentes pour les dix ou quinze ans à venir.
The Netherlands: Senate adopts bill amending Whistleblowers Act National legislation On 24 January 2023, after more than a year’s delay, the Dutch Senate finally adopted the bill protecting whistleblowers. The European Commission had launched an infringement procedure against the Dutch state because of the late implementation of the EU Directive 2019/1937.…
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,…
United Kingdom: companies pledge support to employees going through divorce An array of major UK companies – including supermarkets Asda and Tesco, banks NatWest and Metro Bank, consulting group PwC, consumer goods giant Unilever and telecommunications group Vodafone – have committed, for the very first time, to supporting staff members that are going through a divorce or separation. By joining the Positive Parenting Alliance (PPA), the companies have pledged to deploy HR policies to support staff, such as flexible working and access to counselling.
Interview Franck Bodikian (ManpowerGroup France): “We must ensure that we maintain a balance between the generations” On 30 June 2022, the staffing firm ManpowerGroup France (3,500 permanent employees) signed a new employment and career management agreement (GEPP) that introduces specific training measures for employees aged over 55. Concurrently, the employment company signed the charter initiated by the L'Oréal group and the think tank Club Landoy to promote the role of people over 50 in the company. In this piece, Franck Bodikian, Manpower Group HR Director for France, talks to mind RH about the company's commitments to its older employees.
Portugal: 20 days of bereavement leave for the death of a spouse National legislation On 23 January 2023, Portugal’s parliamentarians approved an amendment to the country’s labour code that increases paid bereavement leave for the death of a spouse from an original 5 days to 20 days.…
EU: EU Commission launches plan to strengthen European social dialogue European legislation On 25 January 2023, the European Commission presented a proposal for a recommendation comprising a series of measures to encourage the EU Member States to strengthen social dialogue at national level. The EU Commission also published a communication listing future initiatives to reinforce and promote European social dialogue, while employers continue to block several of them.
Great Britain: consultation launched to finalise the code of practice combatting the wave of ‘fire and rehire’ National legislation On 24 January 2023, the UK executive opened a 12-week consultation aimed at finalising its Draft Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement. The code,…
United Kingdom: several large firms commit to reserve roles for military veterans Corporate practices Six international companies have signed up to the 15,000 Futures programme in the UK. This innovative scheme, launched by Australian social impact firm WithYouWithMe (WYWM), aims to help military veterans and their partners find a job, including by providing them with free online training in new forms of technology.
Great Britain: the government is funding thousands of training courses in the green sector Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 01 December the UK executive announced it was providing £9.2 million (€10.69 million) in new funding for almost 9,000 green energy related training courses at accredited centres.…
Netherlands: the government is seeking to encourage older workers to work beyond retirement age Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Karien Van Gennip, has announced that she is seeking to change how companies view older employees in order to improve their situation on the labour market.…
Amazon: report by international trade union exposes impact of surveillance technology on workers’ health Engagement UNI Global Union, the international union federation, has published a report based on a survey of 2,000 employees – from eight countries – at US e-commerce giant Amazon. Published on 19 January,…
EY launches tool for companies to diagnose their skill needs Training/Professional development The EY Skills Foundry, unveiled by the accounting giant on 29 November, aims to help companies identify their skill needs and address them, by providing tailored training propositions for the workers of tomorrow. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at the heart of this new initiative.
France: PwC raising employee awareness of the potential of emerging technologies Training/Professional development Thanks to the PwC Tech Lab, staff at the UK headquartered international consulting and auditing services firm can now try out the latest tech trends and their applications in order to understand their impact on the business environment. The Tech lab is an immersive 3D space, which will also enable employees imagine solutions that could apply to their different business divisions (industry, services, finance, human resources, etc.), as they strive to meet major challenges such as steering and managing the carbon footprint or reducing exposure to cyber risk.
Spain: minimum salary level raised 8% National legislation The minimum wage floor has risen to €1,080 gross per month over 14 months, representing 60% of the average wage in Spain, as recommended by the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages. The minimum level has thus been raised by 47% over the last five years as the gap narrows compared to the legal minima applying across the rest of the European Union.
Schneider Electric develops the ‘career conversation’ to enable older workers express their career choices Professional development Le spécialiste des équipements électriques a lancé, courant 2021, un programme mondial dédié aux salariés de plus de 50 ans, afin de mobiliser leur potentiel et les accompagner dans leurs souhaits d’évolution tant professionnelle que personnelle. Au cœur du dispositif, “la conversation de carrière” : un échange approfondi entre le senior et son manager pour aider ce dernier à formuler ses attentes pour les dix ou quinze ans à venir.
The Netherlands: Senate adopts bill amending Whistleblowers Act National legislation On 24 January 2023, after more than a year’s delay, the Dutch Senate finally adopted the bill protecting whistleblowers. The European Commission had launched an infringement procedure against the Dutch state because of the late implementation of the EU Directive 2019/1937.…
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.
News update as of March 13, 2019 National legislation On the menu: Resolution to the dispute between the Yves Rocher Turkey subsidiary and the IndustriALL Global backed Petrol-Is union, Consumer legislation offers only weak leverage in the area of CSR, public sector contracts to prioritize ‘ethical’ employers in the UK, collective agreements renewed for FCA, CNH, and Ferrari and Ducati, downbeat start to 2019 for auto-sector jobs in Argentina.
EU: the 4th UNI Europa Conference was held under the heading ‘Changing Europe Together’ European legislation With the desire to ‘Change Europe’, thanks to stronger unions with increased negotiations influence, UNI Europa gathered its members together for a three-day conference, held in Rome from the 14th to the 16th of March 2016, to set out a strategic framework for the next four years. Unions’ strengthened capacity to attract members and to negotiate, using levers including union alliances, European Works Councils, and transnational company agreements came to the fore. In terms of transnational company agreements, the Conference adopted a set of guidelines and a negotiation procedure.
Great Britain: all the trade unions have renewed their 10 year political funds National industrial relations The 1984 Union law requires unions to ballot their members if they want to continue maintaining their political funds (that can be used to provide financial support for political parties) for a further 10 year term (see article n°8377). Given the political backdrop, with the general election to be held in 2015, and unions hoping for change, all the unions voted once again for the maintenance of these funds.
