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EU Council: French presidency gives priority to draft employment Directives
The French government, which holds the EU presidency in the second half of 2008, is seeking to make progress on all main pending draft employment law Directives, including those on working time, temporary agency workers, supplementary pension rights and European Works Councils.
International: Suez signs European agreement on guarantees for staff in merger
Suez, the France-based utilities group, has signed an agreement with its European Works Council and trade unions providing guarantees for its workforce across Europe, including a ban on redundancies for 18 months, in the company's impending merger with Gaz de France.
France: Minimum wage increased by 0.9%
The French government increased the statutory national minimum wage, the smic, by 0.9% from 1 July 2008, following an inflation-triggered 2.3% rise in May.
Germany: Government finalises legislation to regulate low pay
In July 2008, the German cabinet adopted draft legislation to regulate low pay, concluding a year of debate within the conservative-social democrat coalition government.
Ireland: National pay talks collapse
Negotiations over a new national pay deal ended in failure in August 2008, with trade unions rejecting an employers' offer of a 5% rise over 21 months.
Poland: Court finds employee council law unconstitutional
In July 2008, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the 2006 legislation introducing workplace employee councils is unconstitutional, as it gives priority to trade unions in appointing members of the councils.
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