Collective Bargaining

The recovery of the economy has not led to an improvement of the quality of jobs. Although the jobless rate has dropped, nearly 6 in 10 people are stuck in a market dominated by part-time, on-and-off jobs. A spokesperson of the General Confederation of Greek Workers pinpointed the painful conclusions that can be drawn from the statistics. He said that the working assumption has always been that new jobs would be created once salaries were sheared and hiring and firing rules were made easier for employers. But ultimately, this has all backfired, creating a monster, market jungle where anything goes. As a consequence, the most vulnerable have been hit hardest.

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Unions at peat briquette production company Bord na Móna have reached agreement on the terms of redundancy for up to 70 workers at the firm's peat briquette plant in Tipperary, following months of negotiations. The plant was closed down by the company in May 2017 - blaming a decline in briquette sales and global issues and talks between the company and the unions have been underway since. The semi-state company is, after more than eight decades of peat production, very much in a state of ‘transition and transformation’. The proposed redundancy terms include six weeks’ pay per year of service inclusive of statutory entitlements, plus allowances, a 500 euro voucher and other benefits. Redeployment options have been agreed with a one year settling in period.

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Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports figures in its annual report on low wages, poverty and social exclusion. In 2016, more than half of all households in the Netherlands with people from refugee countries had an income below the low-income threshold. This is over six times the average. Almost 30 percent of all households with a Moroccan background main breadwinner were at risk of poverty. This share is higher than among households with a Turkish, Antillean or Surinamese background, the other three largest non-Western population groups. Dependence on low income is less common among households of German, Belgian, British or Indonesian origin compared to households with a Polish, Bulgarian or Romanian background.

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Whilst the system of unemployment benefits and other social security provisions could come under pressure, due to governmental plans, the Arbeiterkammer (AK) gave the floor to Professor Mossialos, London School of Economics, who emphasised the many strengths of the country’s social security system that is characterised by the high level of satisfaction and the lowest levels of unmet need worldwide.

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Ryanair pilots have threatened to take legal action against the airline over their employment rights under Spanish law if they do not receive certain assurances. The pilot trade union SEPLA has written to Ryanair accusing management of failing to negotiate in good faith since formally recognising unions before Christmas. SEPLA warns that if a meeting is not held by end January 2018 to regularise the rights of Ryanair pilots in accordance with the country’s regulations, it will proceed to initiate all legal actions that the labour law grants in defence of legitimate workers’ rights. SEPLA is surprised and disappointed at documentation received from management, which continues to link payment of a 20% pay rise to conditions which pilots find unacceptable.

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Research institute GFK has published its expectations on the distribution of per-capita purchasing power in 2018. The forecast stems from earlier calculations, with data the organisation’s purchasing power survey. According to the 2018 study, citizens have an annual 22,992 euro per person for consumer purchases, living expenses, recreation and saving. This amounts to a nominal per-person increase of 2.8% or 633 euro compared to 2017. While purchasing power is rising across all of the country, the western federal states continue to significantly outpace the eastern federal states. Among the many insights contained in the study is the fact that not all large cities have above-average purchasing power.

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Companies with 250 or more workers must publish their figures on the pay discrepancy between men and women irrespective of their job or position by April 2018 and so far, 527 firms have done so. This is prescribed by reporting rules, with the results published on a government database. Ladbrokes, Easyjet and Virgin Money are among the major companies to reveal gender pay gaps of more than 15% in favour of men for mean hourly pay. At Easyjet women's hourly pay rates are 52% lower than men's. On average, women earn 15% less per hour at Ladbrokes and 33% less at Virgin Money. The current gender pay is documented by recent reports and blogs. According to Young Women's Trust, women are losing out on nearly £140 billion a year in wages due to the gender pay gap – or £9,112 each. An official governmental webpage provides an article, Understanding the gender pay gap in the UK, with data and figures.

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Collective bargaining in banking has come to a standstill with working hours as one of the main controversies. According to the LCGB-SESF trade union, the boundary between the professional life and the private sphere tends to disappear. People do not rest at the end of their working day and this can have big consequences on their health. Also, the OGBL trade union deplores the situation and is lobbying for the same rights for the employees of the local financial sector. The unions demand the right to disconnect from work to be respected, a framework to be put in place and training to be organised for employees and managers. So far, they failed to reach agreement with the Bankers' Association (ABBL) during negotiations for a new collective agreement for employees of the financial sector.

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A proposal to increase the statutory minimum wage to a monthly 842.8 euro has led to a dispute among members of the government. The labour minister had explained that a 4.7% increase was reasonable, given the inflation, as well as trends in recent years and the outlook for stable economic growth, taking into account the period between 2013 and 2017. The ministry of finance reacted negatively. The proposal is expected to be put forward to the Economic and Social Council.

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Public transport workers have withdrawn their labour to press parliament not to proceed with an austerity bill that would limit trade unions' right to strike. The trade unions proceeded with a 24-hour stoppage of commuter train and bus services ahead of parliament's vote. The unions are angry about the bill, which would allow strikes only when a union musters a 50-percent vote at a members' assembly (currently 20%). They said the bill would remove constitutionally safeguarded workers’ rights.

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