Collective Bargaining

An Equal Times blog is dedicated an assessment of the collective agreement that trade union 3F (the United Federation of Danish Workers), the largest trade union in the country, signed in April 2018 with Hilfr.dk, a website that provides cleaning services in private homes for around 1,700 customers across the country. Around 450 workers at the online platform for cleaning will benefit from significant guarantees under the signed collective agreement. With the agreement Hilfr domestic cleaners, who were formerly self-employed, become workers and are thereby protected by EU and national labour law.

Read on: in English …

A collective agreement on minimum wage in construction industry has been signed so far by 211 companies, whose construction works make up 641 million euro - that is 90% of the minimum amount for the collective agreement to come into force. The Latvian Partnership of Building Contractors said that this support demonstrates a paradigm shift and that businessmen want fair competition in the construction industry. The collective agreement on minimum wage is the most important reform in the construction industry since the restoration of independence. The bargaining continued for 2.5 years and, in order to come into force, it must be signed by companies with a total result of construction works of 713 million.

Read on: in English …

Trade unions and employers agreed a deal in principle on public transport workers’ pay. The trade unions suspended a strike that affected most bus routes and a number of regional train services, after saying they were close to an agreement with employers’ organisation VWOV. The unions asked a 3.5% pay increase for their 12,000 members as well as a number of measures to reduce work pressure, such as extra breaks. The draft deal, running from 1 January 2018 to 1 July 2020, includes a 2.5% pay increase on 1 August 2018, 1.5% on 1 January 2019, 2% on 1 August 2019 and 1.5% on 1 January 2020. Moreover, an on-off payment is paid on 1 august 2018 (550 euro) and 1 January 2020 (100 euro). The deal that is seen as controversial has to be presented to the union members for approval.

Read on: in English … in Dutch …

Some 80.000 to 100.000 people have demonstrated in Vienna against government plans to raise the permissible weekly hours to 60 hours and the regular working day to 12 hours. Trade unions call for a referendum before the maximum working hours are increased. Trade unions and opposition parties are against the plans to increase the working hours but the bill is expected to pass. There was also a lot of opposition on a specific point in an earlier version of the bill: the permitted reasons employees could provide to refuse to work more than 10 hours per day. The government eventually backed down on this point and said employees will be allowed to refuse to work overtime without giving a reason.

Read on: in English …

Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board concluded a planned merger of the company's steelmaking business with India's Tata to create the second-largest steelmaker in Europe. The two firms will each have a 50% share in the new company called Thyssenkrupp Tata Steel, which will be headquartered in the Netherlands, and employ 48,000 people at 34 sites worldwide. The decision follows two years of negotiations and initially met strong resistance from trade union IG Metall after Thyssenkrupp announced that it would cut around 2,000 jobs as part of the deal. The union reversed its position after the company gave workplace assurances and guaranteed it would not close down German plants. That agreement was accepted with an overwhelming majority of the workforce.

Read on: in English … Read on: in German …

Luxair signed a collective agreement with trade unions OGBL and NGL-SNEP. Under the agreement workers will earn a single bonus of 600 euro. A new profit sharing bonus will also be introduced, which means that all employees will receive an additional payment that is calculated in relation to the company's profitability. The Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) has not signed the new agreement.

Read on: in English …

According to data from the Central Statistics Office, the number of job vacancies increased with 28.3% in the first quarter of 2018 when compared to the same period in 2017. The total number of job vacancies stood at 152,400 in the first quarter, an increase of 33,600 from the same period in 2017. Unemployment stood at 6.1% in May, which is the lowest in history for the month of May. Wages during the same period increased with 6.2% when compared to the same period last year. The office expects a continuation of the tightening of the labour market as unemployment falls and wages rise.

Read on: in English …

Following the industrial action last month (see our May newsletter), municipal rubbish collectors of the Aglandjia municipality went on a 24-hour strike to protest the privatisation of garbage collection services. Unions are worried about outsourcing the services because private garbage collection companies refuse to bargain with unions. In a statement the municipality says it had asked for the labour ministry’s intervention to put an end to the strike measures. Unions stated they wanted the municipality to rescind the decision and make other arrangements with the workers.

Read on: in English …

A planned 48-hour strike that was held at the end of this month will be followed with four more days of strikes in July, according to union statements. Unions are striking in protest at a new bill on the designation of arduous work and early retirement. The union stated that it is in total opposition to the introduction of the measures which would, according to them, endanger the regime applying to the full range of railway workers. The list of jobs involving heavy labour which is currently being considered does not include all rail workers. The result, union critics say, would mean some employees having to work longer, but without receiving an increased pension when they retire.

Read on: in English (1) … in English (2) …

The statistical office Statec came up with publications that provide an overview of the distribution of the recent economic growth. Over the 2003-2015 period, the wealthiest households benefited more from the fruits of economic growth. The growth was therefore not equally distributed over rich and poor. The analysis shows that inequality cannot be summarised only by the indices of inequality or risk of poverty, because these are too global. After 2013, the redistribution has become more equal. In a report, dedicated to the recent economic evolution, it is said that average wages increased 2.8% in 2017, and are expected to increase with 1.9% in 2018 and 2.7% in 2019.

Read on: in French … Read on: in French …