Collective Bargaining

Trade union IG BCE concluded a collective agreement for the chemical sector. According to the union, the overall package implies an improvement of working conditions and pay with 4.6%. The agreement brings the 580,000 workers in the sector a 3.6% pay increase, an on-off payment of 280 euro, a doubling of the holiday pay (to 1200 euro for full-timers and 1320 euro for full-time shift workers) and a roadmap that aims to improve the qualification and organisation of working time. The conditions for trainees are improved.

Read on: in German …

The operator of the maritime port stated that it will employ 307 workers that are currently sourced out through subcontractors, plus an additional 350 agency workers. This agency workers will also fall under the collective bargaining agreement. The adjustments in hiring will increase labour costs by about 9 million euros a year. The crane operators union was involved in the process of coming to the hiring policy and states that this result is the best approximation of a normal relationship between an employee and employer.

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A delegation of trade unionists and workers, dismissed from Yves Rocher’s Flormar factory, visited the ILO in Geneva and the company headquarter in Paris. The delegation demonstrated outside a Yves Rocher store in central Geneva, where they were joined by representatives of global and local unions, NGOs and Turkish opposition political parties. After the demonstration, a meeting was held at the ILO to highlight the violation of Convention 87 on the right to freedom of association. The next day, the delegation travelled to the company office in Paris, where they were joined for a demonstration. A petition got massive support.

Read on: in English … The petition: in French …

The metalworkers unions started negotiations on a new collective agreement demanding a 5% pay increase, or at least 100 euro a month more in wages. On 20 September, they handed over their demands that are based on the steady growth of productivity and other very positive results in recent years. Another point of concern is the much criticized 12-hour working that was introduced by the government. The metalworkers unions want to make sure that workers cannot be forced to work twelve-hour a day, so they demand higher overtime pay than before and a 100% bonus if metalworkers have to work for more than 10 hours a day.

Read on: in German … The start of the negotiations: in German …

The tradition of tripartite meetings that for many years did not take place in the country was restored last spring as a procedure to discuss labour market problems. In September, government, unions and employers met again, this time to discuss the countries’ gender wage gap that still is one of the widest in the European Union. Several topics were discussed such as the flexibility of employment and lifelong learning.

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The coalition government, employers and trade union leaders have jointly approved the priorities outlined in the government’s draft budget for 2019. The Finance Ministry proposed a state budget with a 40 billion crown deficit, that envisages a substantial improvement of public sector wages, higher pensions and more money for investments. The government aims to scrap 1300 jobs in public administration. However, the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and the Czech Chamber of Commerce criticized the fact that wage increases to public servants will be higher than to those working in the private sector.

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The unions that represent the workers employed by the Flemish Maritime Services Department staged a day of industrial action against the responsible ministry’s reform plans. All the region’s maritime pilots downed tools and at least 8 locks on Flemish canals were closed to traffic. The workers’ strike was in protest to government reforms that will affect sick pay. With the new plan workers will get payed 65% of their wages when they are sick for more than 30 days. The unions find it unacceptable that a reform of the conditions of employment of workers is planned without first having consulted with their union representatives.

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Ilva Group workers - members of the trade unions Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil and Uilm-Uil – approved by a very large majority of 93% the agreement concluded on 6 September between the Ministry of Economic Development, trade unions and ArcelorMittal. In total, Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil and Uilm-Uil representing some 14,000 workers of the Ilva group, organised 44 assemblies at all the Ilva sites. The agreement leads to a planned 4.2 billion euro of investments for the revival of the steel industry, including 1.25 billion euro for industrial purposes, 1.15 billion euro for the environment and 1.8 billion euro as part of the acquisition.

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Employees of the social care centres have organised a hunger strike for eight hours in a protest against poor pay. The problem of low wages in social care centres has not been resolved for years, according to the trade unions of government agencies, local authorities, companies and financial workers. Informal carers in social care centres are still working on a minimum wage. Work is physically and morally very difficult, and in recent years the responsible ministry has done virtually nothing to improve the income situation.

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Government reaches an agreement on next years’ state budget. It will exceed 11 billion euro; 21 million euro will be used for an average wage increase of 10% for police officers and border guards. Government officials declared that salaries of front-line employees, foremost patrol police officers and border guards, will increase the most. The budget bill is still to be approved.

Read on: in English … in English (2) …