A strike planned on 23 February by general practitioners, hospital doctors and vets was called off after civil-service bargaining agency ARAN invited their trade unions for talks. The trade unions spoke about a first step forwards that will enable the unions to finally exercise the opening of bargaining without weighing on citizens and workers.
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[close]The trade unions have announced industrial action in several sectors where the collective bargaining process remains deadlocked. The first strike is planned on 28 February at the University of Helsinki e.g. in reaction to the unwillingness of the employer to negotiate on pay rise. In March, industrial action is to be expected in the day care, private adult education and the real estate sector. This sector includes cleaners, caretakers and property managers. Besides pay rises other demands in the collective bargaining processes include overtime pay and the improvement of the situation of those with zero-hours contracts.
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[close]There have been various smaller strikes and protests in demand of higher wages and better working conditions in recent weeks. Hospital Doctors went on 24-hour strike demanding new doctors to be hired and fill the many unmanned hospital positions. The Construction Workers Union of Athens ASTERAS held a series of strikes at one of the biggest construction sites, ASTERAS demanding collective agreements with better wages. Telecom Union of CYTA Hellas went on strike after the acquisition of CYTA by VODAFONE, demanding job security and a collective agreement for all workers and freedom of association. On 20 February buses in Athens went on a 6-hour work stop in order to join the general assembly of their union. The civil servants' union ADEDY plans a strike to protest the government's continuing austerity program.
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[close]After a period of strikes and intense negotiations, trade union IG Metall, representing 900.000 metal and engineering workers, has won the fight for a collective agreement on work-life balance and a wage deal that gives workers the equivalent of 3.5 percent annual raises over 27 months. It means workers at many of the country’s most important engineering firms from 2019 on will be able to opt to take on a 28-hour working week for up to two years. The deal is expected to have a much broader impact than on the 900.000 IG Metall union members alone and is seen a major breakthrough for flexible working in Germany and Europe. A first deal was stuck on 6 February in Baden-Württemberg that served as a reference for the rest of the country.
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[close]The Adecco Group UK&I and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development produced a Labour Market Outlook 2017-2018. The Outlook is a quarterly report providing analysis and commentary on key employment trends. The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 HR professionals and senior decision makers. This quarter, the respondents signal a lack of investment in skills and training, particularly in light of current challenges Brexit might exacerbate. The overall median basic pay increase expectation is around or below 2% (by sector: private sector, 2%; public sector, 1%; voluntary sector, 1.5%).
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[close]The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Labour Confederation have joint together in protest of proposed revisions to the labour migration legislation that would make it easier for non-EU workers to enter the labour market. The unions believe that it is unnecessary to attract foreign skilled workers and that instead measures are needed to attract skilled workers back home.
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[close]Transavia’s pilots, some 500, have been without a pay agreement for over a year and negotiations broke down in February. The pilots’ union VNV has reacted with a strike. In a leaflet handed out to passengers it was assumed that Transavia plains at Schiphol, Eindhoven and Rotterdam airports would remain on the ground during the strike, which would last for several hours. The pilots are demanding improvements in the flight rosters so they can better plan in free time and time with their families. Currently, pilots face continual roster changes, the union says. In addition, the pilots are calling for a ‘modest pay rise’ and that their employer contributes into a special fund for pilots who become unable to fly through illness.
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[close]Municipal garbage collectors together with their trade unions are trying to convince municipalities to cluster garbage collection services among neighbouring municipalities instead of outsourcing the work to private companies. In this manner cost can be reduced without losing jobs now and in the future. Trade union Peo does not rule out industrial action if the demands of garbage collectors are not met.
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[close]In response to the announcement of the news agency SDA/ATS that up to 40 out of their 180 total employees are at risk of losing their jobs, there has been a strike from late January to early February. Negotiations following the strike remain deadlocked while management and staff still haven’t reached an agreement on the number of job cuts. Both parties have asked the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to mediate.
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[close]The closure of a logistic plant, part of Medtronic - one of the largest medical technology companies, will lead to a loss of almost 400 jobs by mid-2018. A spokesperson of the company said that an effort is made to relocate the workers to another plant in Heerlen, in the Dutch neighbouring region. Currently, information and consultation procedures take place that are based on the so-called Renault-Bill (referring to the notorious closure of a Renault plant at Vilvoorde). The announcement did not take the unions by surprise, but nevertheless, they see the company’s decision as the ‘worst case scenario’.
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