Collective Bargaining

The latest blow for Uber comes from the advocate general of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The case before the court deals with the question whether Uber should be treated as a taxi service in France, and therefore be subject to safety and employment rules, or as a digital platform that connects independent drivers with passengers. In a nonbinding recommendation, the main adviser of the EU’s highest court says that the ride-hailing service has to abide the usual rules governing taxi services. The advocate general takes the view that Member States may prohibit and punish the illegal exercise of a transport activity such as UberPop without having to notify the Commission in advance. He recalls that, in accordance with his Opinion of 11 May 2017 in the Uber Spain case, the UberPop service falls within the field of transport.

English: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/business/uber-ecj-europe-france.html

The opinion: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs ...

The earlier opinion: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs ...

The Resolution Foundation comes up with a briefing on the issue of minimum wages and self-employed. The minimum wage protects workers at the lower end of the labour market. But, self-employed – now one in seven of the workforce – are not entitled to the minimum wage. The briefing states that a minimum wage would not be appropriate for the majority of the self-employed. However, for those who take work from firms or platforms and – crucially – don’t have control over the price they charge, moves to reduce exploitatively low pay would be both meaningful and welcome.

English: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/the-minimum-required ...

The briefing: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads ...

Workers from the GOŠA factory have organised a blockade of the international Belgrade-Thessaloniki railway line and the road to the factory. The workers have been on strike for 100 days, after not receiving their salary and benefits for 15 months. The GOŠA factory produces trams and railway carriages. It was one of the most important industrial plants in the former Yugoslavia. In 2007, the plant was privatized and sold to a Slovakian company, ŽOS. Due to the sale, the workers have no clear negotiating partner. Trade unions also hold state institutions – the labour ministry, the ministry of the economy and particularly the finance ministry – responsible for tolerating unpaid taxes by the company for more than a year.

English: http://www.industriall-union.org/international-unions-join-striking-workers ...

After months of tough negotiations, unionised longshore workers and their employers have settled a dispute over a recently passed law that the workers have said could cost thousands of them their jobs. Unions and employers had been battling over reforms that the parliament approved in May 2017 regarding the hiring of longshore workers. The legislation rules that port loading services were opened to market competition, with companies being allowed to freely hire non-union labour. In a joint statement, the two sides indicated that a collective agreement has been reached that preserves about 6,200 union dockworker jobs. ANESCO, the employers’ association, has pledged not to alter working conditions for longshore workers during a three-year period, after which the work scheme that the legislature approved goes fully into effect.

English: http://www.americanshipper.com/main/news/spanish-dockworkers-end-strike ...

New trade union activities at a SKF site in Chodov led to a first collective agreement. The process started two years ago when, through combined efforts of SKF factory workers, members of trade union OZ KOVO, with the assistance of the SKF World Union Committee, a new union organisation was set up at the SKF site in Chodov. This group of dedicated union activists made a major step forward by inviting factory management to discussions. The negotiations have led to the signing of a collective agreement covering all employees at the factory. The agreement includes a 6% increase of the base hourly wages for blue collar and 3% for white collar workers and a Christmas bonus of minimum 50% independent of the financial situation at the site.

English: http://www.industriall-union.org/first-union-agreement-reached …

The General Workers’ Union signed a collective agreement for the employees of Gasco Energy Ltd, a leading operator responsible for storage and bottling of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG). Through this collective agreement, the employees will benefit from improved employment and salary conditions. This is the second agreement covering a three-year term between the GWU and Gasco Energy. The GWU’s secretary for the Chemicals and Energy Section said the agreement showed the appreciation of management to the commitment by the company’s employees. Gasco Energy CEO said the collective agreement was based on the satisfactory working conditions already enjoyed by the employees and would guarantee an increase in salaries and other benefits over the next three years.

English: https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles ...

Bus drivers of the regional transport company ‘De Lijn’ continue with their strike. The strike started with the aim to put more pressure on ongoing negotiations for a collective agreement. The trade unions have asked for a 1.1% wage increase; however, the management asks for several compensation measures that work out negative for the workers.
English: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News …
French: https://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detail_le-reseau-de-de-lijn-toujours …
Dutch: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/binnenland …

The statistical office Destatis reported that nominal earnings in May 2017 had increased by 2.6% when compared to 2016. Employment reached a record high level, with 44.1 million workers. Compared with May 2016, the number of persons in employment increased by 651,000 or 1.5%. The Institute for Labour Market and Professional Research (IAB) published data, which give evidence that the workforce worked a total of 15.3 billion hours in the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 3.2% compared to the same period last year. The data from IAB also show that the number of full-time employees grew by 1.4 % in Q1 2017 compared to 2016.
English: https://www.destatis.de/EN/PressServices …
https://www.destatis.de/EN/PressServices …
Destatis report (German): https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService …
IAB-data (German, with statistics): http://www.iab.de/de/informationsservice/presse …

According to a survey conducted by the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) more than every third company - 36 per cent - has unsuccessfully tried to recruit new employees in 2016. The employers' organisation organised a survey among 3,335 companies. In May 2017, the centre-right government had promised to cut taxes for high and low-income earners, as well as companies, simplify rules and improve the country’s infrastructure as part of a major drive designed to combat a lack of labour supply. However, the opposition and the trade unions take a very critical stand towards this policy. In a period of more competition to find skilled labour investment in people and improved wages must be the answer.
English: https://www.thelocal.dk/jobs/article/danish-companies-struggling …

The public-sector unions decided to suspend an ongoing strike that had led to garbage piling up in the streets, partly because of the heatwave. Union officials said they would explore other forms of labour action in the coming days. Earlier on, the local authority workers’ union, POE-OTA, had announced a 24-hour strike after what it described as a fruitless meeting with the Interior Minister. The workers demand that no contract cleaners should be dismissed after their contracts expire. According to unionists, the minister reneged on his promise to workers that they will keep their jobs. POE-OTA has put pressure onto the government to give permanent jobs to thousands of short-term workers in spite of a Court of Auditors ruling that banned the extension of fixed term contracts (see also the May-CBN).
English: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/greek-garbos-suspend-strike …
http://www.ekathimerini.com/219427/article/ekathimerini/news/athens-municipal-workers …