Human Times

European Edition

23rd September 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Mercedes-Benz warns of potential plant closures

Mercedes-Benz could close facilities and make redundancies, including the engine and powertrain facilities at its Untertürkheim plant in Stuttgart where the company has its headquarters. Michael Schiebe, the carmaker's production head, said operations in Germany were not competitive by international standards because of high labour costs. Schiebe told workers: "Our clear goal is to maintain all of our German locations. If we are unable to do this, we will have to close one German assembly plant and one German powertrain plant." An official in the general works council said: "Threatening plant closures is no way to shape the future. Anyone who resorts to such threats must expect our determined resistance. If the management board believes it can pressure employees with the ultimatum of [workforce] concessions or plant closures, our answer is a clear: 'Not on our watch'." The company said in a statement: "We need framework conditions that boost productivity in Germany."

Reuters

The Times

THE NEW TALENT EQUATION

Why Augmentation Is Outperforming Automation

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way organizations attract, develop, and deploy talent. While many companies have focused on automation, new research from Talent Solutions RPO and Right Management, conducted by Everest Group, shows that the greatest value often comes from augmenting human work rather than replacing it.

In fact, 34% of organizations report their strongest gains from AI-augmented roles, compared with just 8% from fully automated roles.

Join Talent Solutions RPO, Right Management, and Everest Group for an executive discussion on why augmentation is outperforming automation and what this means for talent acquisition, workforce strategy, and organizational transformation.

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Register for the Webinar

LEGAL

New UK rights for family bereavement and pregnancy loss

A new legal right in the UK to unpaid time off work after suffering a bereavement will cover step and half relatives, as well as foster, kinship care and adoptive relationships, which currently hold no statutory protection in terms of workplace leave. Women and their partners who suffer a pregnancy loss prior to 24 weeks, including a miscarriage, a termination and an unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer, will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. Previously only parents who have lost a child aged under 18 or stillborn from 24 weeks had a legal right to bereavement leave. Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, said: "No one should have to fight for time to grieve. These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work."

Spanish PM’s wife to stand trial over corruption charges

Begona Gómez, the wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, is to stand trial for influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds. The case centres on claims that Gómez used her relationship with the premier to advance her career and co-direct a programme at Madrid’s Complutense University, while also using public resources and government staff for private interests. Gómez denies wrongdoing. The prime minister’s office said the decision was “an arbitrary and unjust investigation that is solely the result of the judicial persecution of Begoña Gómez . . . No criminal offence has been committed, and that will be demonstrated.”

Financial Times

Irish Times

Politico

WORKFORCE

Meta to give a trade union access to its UK staff for the first time

Meta has agreed to grant Prospect, a trade union which represents over 160,000 workers, access to its 5,000 UK staff for the first time. The agreement allows Prospect to discuss union membership with Meta employees, marking a significant step in union representation within the tech sector. Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said the agreement was "an important step towards giving Meta workers a stronger voice at work." The deal comes ahead of a new trade union right of access to workplaces which comes into force next month as part of the Employment Rights Act. Clancy said it was to "Meta's credit that it has struck this voluntary deal with Prospect, rather than waiting for the new right of access to kick in, sending a positive message to staff that it is open to engaging with a union."

Financial Times

The Times

Luxembourg unemployment rate increases to 6.5%

Luxembourg's unemployment rate increased to 6.5% in August, despite a rise in job vacancies. According to the official statistics agency Statec, the number of registered jobseekers with the jobs agency Adem rose by 11.5% to 20,136. Notably, the most highly qualified jobseekers now represent one-third of those seeking employment, with a 19% increase in this group compared to August 2025. The 30 to 44 age group saw the sharpest rise in jobseekers, while social work recorded the highest unemployment increase. Adem noted that demand remains strong in secretarial, IT, and management roles.

Luxembourg Times

STRATEGY

Swiss telecoms operator Sunrise weighs 450 job cuts

Swiss telecommunications firm Sunrise is reviewing its operating model and plans a further round of job cuts. As many as 450 roles - representing just under 16% of the current workforce - are set to be lost. The company had already announced a reduction of 147 jobs at the start of the year. Sunrise said it intends to carry out the statutory consultation process with worker representatives and the Syndicom labour union in the fourth quarter of 2026.

SWI

HEALTH & WELLBEING

AI staff complain of mental toll over fears of threat to society

The FT reports that staff at AI companies and institutions are suffering from the severe mental strain associated with working on systems they fear are unsafe for public release.

Financial Times

INTERNATIONAL

Tesla faces major trial for alleged bias against Black workers

The California Civil Rights Department's lawsuit against Tesla, which accuses the company of allowing widespread race discrimination at its Fremont assembly plant, was set to go to trial on Monday. The lawsuit, filed in 2022, alleges that Black workers faced harassment, including racial slurs and graffiti, and were paid less than their peers while being denied promotion opportunities. Kevin Kish, director of the California Civil Rights Department, said the agency looks forward to holding Tesla accountable. The trial, to be overseen by Judge Peter Borkon, is expected to last until October 30. Unlike federal law, California law does not cap damages, meaning Tesla could face significant financial repercussions if found liable. Reuters says Tesla's high profile and the thousands of workers involved in the case make it among the most significant involving employment discrimination claims against a major US company to go to trial in recent years.

Reuters

Starbucks plans global tech centre in India

Starbucks has signed an agreement to establish a global capability centre (GCC) in the ‌southern Indian city of Chennai and hire around 800 technology professionals. The coffee chain's technology chief Anand Varadarajan said the availability of a skilled workforce, lower attrition and good infrastructure would be a boon to the business. Reuters notes that Starbucks' pact with the Tamil Nadu government came only days after US pharmacy chain Walgreens signed a deal with the southern Indian state to set up a GCC in Chennai, the state capital that is already home to tech centres of global business groups including Citi, Barclays and American Express.

Reuters

Brazilian police seize devices in trade secrets investigation

Brazilian police have conducted a search-and-seizure operation against a former iFood employee suspected of downloading confidential information before joining food delivery rival 99Food. The investigation, led by police inspector Angelo Lages, aims to uncover the extent of corporate espionage in Brazil's competitive food delivery market, which is valued at approximately $20bn. "The purpose of the search was to collect electronic devices so we can conduct forensic analysis and determine what happened to the data," Lages said. iFood holds about 80% of the local food delivery market.

U.S. News

Thai finance boss says he runs on four hours' sleep

Thailand's finance minister, Ekniti Nitithanprapas, says the demands of the job have cut his nightly sleep to about four hours, and weekly vitamin drips and daily supplements keep him going. “They help ease the fatigue,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg News. When he can, Ekniti, who was 55 last week, tries to claim one weekend day for himself, sleeping seven or eight hours and exercising before returning to work. He says such respite can be short-lived: “There always seems to be another crisis.”

Bloomberg

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