Collective Bargaining

If lawmakers approve a bill under consideration in the national legislature, this could gradually end Sunday shopping in the next three years. The bill was initially supported by trade unions and received support from the Law and Justice Party, the ruling party. The lower house, the Sejm, passed the bill by a vote of 254 to 156. It still requires approval from the Senate and the President. The bill would allow Sunday shopping only on the first and last Sunday of each month through the end of 2018, then allow shopping only on the last Sunday of the month in 2019. The total ban of all Sunday shopping is planned from 2020.

Read on: in English …

The Social Mobility Commission, an advisory non-departmental public body, published a report on regional disparities and social mobility. The report finds that access to good jobs is a key driver for social mobility and recommends that local authorities should all become accredited Living Wage employers and encourage others to do the same. Major changes on the labour market over recent decades have imprisoned more than five million workers – mainly women – in a low pay trap from which few find escape: only one in six of those workers who were low paid in 2006 had managed to find a permanent route out of low pay a decade later. Although low pay is pervasive throughout the country, low-paid jobs, such as in retail and food services, are concentrated in particular regions, with more than 30% of residents in 71 largely rural areas earning below the voluntary living wage: average earnings in West Somerset are £312 a week but £670 in Wandsworth.

Read on: in English …

The government has published the act that introduces a maximum gross salary for doctors provided by temporary firms. The maximum remuneration of temporary doctors at public hospitals that are recruited to tackle shortages of staff will be set at 1,170.04 euro for a 24-hours period in 2020 (the maximum in 2018 will be 1,404.05 euro). Temporary employment agencies will have to provide information on healthcare providers about the qualifications, the authorised licenses and the non-accumulation of activities.

Read on: in French …

Protests engaging many thousands across the country took place during November 2017. The protests started as a response to the announcement of an overhaul of the system of taxation. The measures proposed by the Government plan the rise of the minimum wage, but contributions to a compulsory private pension fund scheme will be limited (see also our October issue). Employers will have to pay a 2.25% tax on their overall wage fund and small businesses with annual turnover below one million euro will have to contribute only 1% tax on turnover instead of the current 16% tax on profit, thus lowering social security contributions by employers and shifting their entire burden onto employees.

Read on: in English (1) … in English (2) … in English (3) … in English (4) …

Trade union Pro has reached an agreement for clerical employees in the ICT-sector just before a strike planned to begin. The deal covers 12,000 employees working in the Information and Communication Technology sector. The main reason for the dispute was the use of temporary rental labour. According to the collective agreement rental labour can only be used temporarily when there is a special need, but the unions signal that rental labour is more and more used to replace staff. The agreement between trade union Pro and the employers' association Palta was based on a proposal presented by the National Conciliator. It has been agreed that this will last for a period of 27 months. The pay settlement proposed is in line with other collective agreements settled so far at sectoral level, referring to the 3.2% pay rise set for the next two years in the collective agreement of technology industries by the Finnish Industrial Union.

Read on: in English …

Air Malta and the Association of Airline Engineers (AAE) have signed a collective agreement. The deal includes a pay increase for all workers, of in total 19% that will be spread over five years (5%, 1.5%, 5%, 1.5%, 5%). The majority of the association's members supported the agreement after they were assured throughout the negotiations that the sector would remain a vital part of the company’s operations. This is the first collective agreement to be signed, with other separate agreements with GWU (concerning the hiving-off agreement of Ground handling services), an agreement with the Pilots Association, and an agreement with the Cabin Crew Union (UCC) still pending.

Read on: in English …

The negotiations in several sectors were deadlocked in recent months. But, it looks as if an important breakthrough has been reached. The Paper Workers' Union concluded a collective agreement and the Finnish Electrical Workers' Union reached an agreement that ended their strike in the technology industry. The Finnish Industrial Union reached a two year pay deal with a 3.2% pay rise in the technology sector from the beginning of November. Several other collective agreements have been agreed offering a similar pay rise. The negotiations in the paper industry were long deadlocked and the situation tense after employers offered a zero-pay rise. The Paper Workers' Union responded by imposing an overtime ban. As paper mills are run by a minimal staff, this was an effective way to make a point. The employers came back to the negotiation table and an agreement was made. The agreement gives a 3.5% pay rise and is in place for two years. The electrical workers' collective agreement within the technology industry has also been solved.

Read on: in English …

Workers at Amazon distribution centres walked off the job during Black Friday, in a protest to demand better wages (see also the Italian news). A spokesperson for trade union Ver.di said approximately 2,500 workers were on strike at six different facilities. Ver.di has been pushing since 2013 for higher pay. According to the union Amazon employees receive lower wages than others in retail and mail-order jobs. Amazon insists that its distribution warehouses in Germany are logistics centres.

Read on: in English … An overview of the actions, in German …

The statistical office published the labour market data for the first nine months of 2017. In the third quarter of 2017, employment rate of the population (aged 15 and over) was 48.2%, the unemployment rate 12.9%, and the inactivity rate 44.7%. By the end of September 2017, average gross and net salaries and wages had increased by 3.5% in nominal terms and by 0.7% in real terms, compared to the situation in 2016. The average gross monthly wages paid in October 2017 amounted to dinars 64 602 (543 euro). The average net wages (tax and contributions excluded) paid in October 2017 totalled 46 879 dinars (394 euro).

Read on: in English …

In the years between 2012-2016, wages increased 60%, reports the news agency VB.is. The wage increase has slowed down recently, but it still remains far above the countries that the island does most trade with, where the increase was 6-8% in the same period. Although the current unemployment is very low, according to figures from Iceland Statistics it stood at 3.8% in October, and labour market participation was at 84.9%, making it the highest in the OECD countries, one can wonder who the people are whose paycheques have increased with 60%.

Read on: in English …