Human Times

European Edition

3rd September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Uber to axe 10% of its workforce

Uber plans to lay off about 10% of its global workforce - around 3,400 employees - as part of a major organisational overhaul. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of the taxi and delivery firm, told staff that the changes would create a “simpler and faster” business, including by reducing the number of small teams where one or two employees report to a single manager by nearly 50%, and cutting by 20% the number of employees who sit more than seven layers from the chief executive. The move will also reinforce a hybrid work policy which requires three days a week in the office. Analysts said the layoffs could generate up to $2bn in annual savings.

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LEGAL

Airline faces strike after workers say they were forced to fly to Israel

Brussels Airlines is facing potential strike action after the ACV Puls workers' union claimed the carrier violated an agreement by compelling staff to operate flights to Israel. Workers expressed concerns over their safety and the ethical implications of flying into a conflict zone. A union representative said: "Staff have serious concerns about both their physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights . . . Nevertheless, Brussels Airlines refuses to give employees the option to refuse such assignments." The airline said it had resumed operations to Tel Aviv with volunteer crews and will monitor the situation closely. The Belgian foreign ministry has warned against nonessential travel to Israel.

The Times of Israel

Many UK employers unaware of new harassment laws

Research by Acas reveals that many employers in the UK are unaware of upcoming changes to sexual harassment laws in the Employment Rights Act, effective from the end of October. A survey of 1,100 managers found that only 60% were informed about these legal updates. Julie Dennis from Acas said: "Most employers are up to speed on new responsibilities to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work, but it's concerning that two in five are not."

The Daily Telegraph

German industry pushes to increase work week to 40 hours

Some of Germany's largest companies, including Mercedes-Benz and toolmaker Stihl, are urging employees to work longer for the same pay to arrest the country’s industrial decline.

Financial Times

STRATEGY

Novartis could cut about 130 jobs in Switzerland

Drugmaker Novartis could cut ‌about 130 jobs in Switzerland as it relocates laboratory activities from Kleinbasel, an area of Basel, to its main campus ⁠in the city by the end of 2028. Reuters notes that the company has been investing heavily in sites in the United States as the pharmaceutical sector comes under pressure from the Trump administration to ⁠boost manufacturing there. It plans to spend $23bn to build and expand 10 facilities in the US over the next five years.

Reuters

WORKFORCE

Unemployment in Greece falls sharply

Greece's unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in July 2026, down from 8.9% a year earlier, according to the Labour Force Survey by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). The number of unemployed decreased by 45,192 to 376,508, marking a 10.7% drop from July 2025. Women's unemployment fell to 10.4%, while men's dropped to 5.9%. Youth unemployment also saw a significant decline, reaching 16.8%. The total number of employed individuals rose to 4,379,823, an increase of 1% from the previous year.

GreekCitytimes

CYBERSECURITY

AI is forcing companies to modernise aging cybersecurity infrastructure

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora has highlighted the urgent need for companies to modernise their cybersecurity infrastructure to combat AI-driven threats. "Nothing that was deployed seven or 10 years ago is prepared or ready to handle AI at machine speed," Arora said during an interview with CNBC. He said that there is approximately $1 trillion of global cybersecurity debt that needs addressing to defend against automated attacks. Arora identified the emergence of Anthropic's Mythos model earlier this year as a turning point, because it could be easily used to exploit software vulnerabilities. “I've been trying for eight years to tell customers they're not ready, and [Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei] did it in one event, just by launching Mythos,” Arora said.

CNBC

ECONOMY

Irish consumer sentiment improves in August

Irish consumer sentiment rose to 63.2 in August from 61.6 in July, approaching levels seen before the Middle East conflict drove up fuel costs. However, confidence remains well below its long-term average, with households continuing to face significant financial pressures. Some 65% of consumers reported spending more on necessities such as food, while 61% were paying more on household bills. Discretionary spending has fallen, with many consumers cutting back on non-essential purchases and going out.

Irish Examiner

RTE

INTERNATIONAL

Cisco accused of fostering a hostile workplace for Muslim staff

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has found that Cisco may have violated the civil rights of its Middle Eastern and Muslim employees by subjecting them to a hostile work environment amid anti-Arab and anti-Muslim comments on internal messaging platforms. A group of Cisco employees called “Bridge to Humanity” (B2H), which had voiced concerns that the company’s technology was provided to the Israeli military for use in Israel’s war on Gaza, alleged that Cisco had not responded to their complaints until they created a 76-page report cataloguing the hate comments they had been subjected to in an internal messaging group called Connected Jewish Network. Jeffrey Wang, a civil rights managing lawyer at the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) San Francisco Bay-area chapter, said: “Employers have a legal responsibility to address harassment and discrimination fairly and consistently. Workers should not have to fear retaliation or a hostile work environment because of their religion, national origin, or association with protected communities.”

AlJazeera

Retail workers want new public holiday for more family time

Hundreds of retail, fast food, and warehouse workers have protested at the New South Wales parliament, demanding an additional public holiday. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) called for September 1 to be designated a public holiday, so allowing workers more family time. SDA NSW Secretary Bernie Smith called on Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Costis to increase the state's number of public holidays from 11 to 12. "Why does New South Wales have less? We should have the same rights as everyone else . . . We think a new public holiday at the beginning of spring will be a great time for our community to stop, to make memories instead of money," he said.

Yahoo News Australia

OTHER

France imposes fast-fashion levies targeting Shein, Temu and AliExpress

France has introduced per-item fees on ultra-fast-fashion products sold by platforms including Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, with 2026 charges ranging from €0.50 for underwear to €12 for jackets and potentially rising to €19.50 per item by 2030, capped at 50% of the pre-tax price. The measure is intended to curb the environmental and economic impact of low-cost, high-volume fashion. China’s commerce ministry has criticised the law as discriminatory and a potential trade barrier; retailers such as H&M and Zara are not expected to be covered.

BBC News

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