The Icelandic Nurses Association called off a planned strike hours before it was scheduled to start. The nurses have been working without a valid contract for over a year. Thirty meetings between union leaders and state representatives have been held since the dispute was handed over to a state mediator in February. An agreement has been reached on arrangements for shift work, but the dispute over nurses’ wages is yet to be resolved.
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[close]The number of people registered at national employment centres increased by 34% compared to last year. Data for May shows there were 103,763 more jobless this year than at the same time last year. The total rose by 16,611 from April. In all, there are 544,351 people actively looking for jobs.
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[close]State nurses went on a 24-hour strike. They said their employer, the state health services organisation Okypy, had not approached them since they announced the strike. Union Pasyno and the midwives and nurses branch of the civil servants’ union Pasydy said their members would go on strike due to Okypy’s delay in hiring more nurses and staff in public hospitals. The serious understaffing is causing problems in terms of arranging the shifts schedule and summer holidays.
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[close]The youth department of the national trade union confederation OGBL demands an expansion of support for unemployed youth. Now that youth unemployment has reached 25%, young trade unionists are asking for the restoration of a universal right to unemployment benefits, regardless of age. They also demand that only companies hiring young people on permanent contracts be supported.
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[close]HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced an extension to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The extension will allow eligible claimants to apply to HMRC for a second liquidity grant to partially compensate for the loss of three months’ worth of trading profits due to coronavirus business interruption occurring on or after 14 July 2020.
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[close]A new political alliance, including trade unions, left-wing political parties and aid organisations, has launched new initiatives demanding higher minimum wages. This is a reaction to the coronavirus outbreak and counters a defeat in a 2014 referendum. The alliance is fighting for a statutory hourly wage of at least CHF 23 (€21.63) in three major cities. The main beneficiaries of a higher minimum wage in this expensive country would be the working poor.
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[close]The coronavirus pandemic will probably cause the economy to drop by 9.3% in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the first quarter. The calculation was made by analysts from the central bank.
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[close]The 1,500 workers who lost their jobs after the bankruptcy of Swissport will benefit from free training and outplacement measures. This measure was an initiative of the ‘curators’ (liquidators) handling the bankruptcy. The support will be carried out by the employment services of Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.
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[close]Symbolic actions by hospital employees, zoo staff, and workers in the events sector raised awareness about their plight during the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital workers expressed their need for more money via a livestreamed video on social media. Workers at Antwerp Zoo threatened to strike if the management continues to refuse to negotiate about the announced layoffs. And representatives of the events sector placed music boxes in Brussels to ‘break the silence’ of the government on their situation.
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[close]Since the beginning of the month, workers have been threatening collective action after employers in the chemical industry suggested a rise of 1.45% in nominal wages for 45,000 employees. The trade unions PRO-GE and GPA-djp declared the offer unreasonable because the suggested rise was below inflation. After negotiations were suspended on June 10, an agreement was reached on June 18 with a wage increase of 1.6% and a €150 one-off corona allowance.
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