GMB, the trade union that organises supermarket distribution centre workers, scored a huge victory against Lidl after the low-cost supermarket’s bid to deny its workers union representation failed. On 4 May 2017, the Court of Appeal has thrown out the company’s attempts to overturn a ruling ordering them to allow staff trade union representation. Last year the CAC, the independent tribunal with statutory powers over trade union recognition, dismissed Lidl’s attempts to block warehouse operatives employed at the company’s Bridgend distribution centre from having a union represent their interests. The High Court then upheld the CAC’s decision in August. And now the Court of Appeal again confirmed the right of GMB to ballot members for recognition within the company after the supermarket's objections were thrown out.
English: http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/gmb-lidl-victory
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Oil and gas company Total said that it was gradually shutting down production at its 117,000 barrels-per-day Feyzin refinery and petrochemical platform near Lyon due to a strike. Some 190 workers at the refinery, which employs around 600, began the strike on 4 May 2017, after talks with management reached a deadlock over bonuses and other issues. Talks are ongoing with trade union Force Ouvriere, the dominant trade union at the refinery which called the strike, but it is unclear when the strike will end. The shutting down and restart of a refinery takes several days. Total said there was no risk of fuel and products shortage because it will continue to supply clients from other sources.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/total-refinery-strike ...
Retail managers held a 12-hour warning strike right after May Day. The walkout was in support of the right to a collective agreement. The Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN wants to negotiate a collective agreement for retail managers. The Employers' Finnish Commerce Federation absolutely refuses to have any kind of collective agreement or any other union level agreement. The retail employers' unconditional no to any kind of collective agreements for managerial staff is in line with the recent decision made by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. It unilaterally terminated all 22 confederation level national agreements it had with the trade union confederations. This has left some 30 000 managerial employees without any agreements on issues like collective representation.
English: http://heikkijokinen.info/en/trade-union-news-from-finland/1240-retail-managers ...
The Head of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions has said that 70% of workers receive below the average salary. According to CITUB, real incomes should rise by a much higher percentage than what the government promises. It was also pointed out that the country has the lowest pensions and wages in the European Union, as well as low quality healthcare and education.
English: http://www.novinite.com/articles/180051/70+of+Workers+in+Bulgaria+Receive+Below …
A report of the statistical office reveals that 18% of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2016. These persons had low household income, were severely materially deprived or lived in households with low work intensity. In total, the number of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion declined by 157 000 persons since 2008. According to the EU-Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, long-term unemployed persons face an especially high risk of social exclusion (79%). People who are in employment are relatively better socially secured (risk of poverty or social exclusion 10%). 8.3% of all persons in employment live in households with an income below the poverty line are considered as ‘working poor’.
English: http://www.statistik.at/web_en/press ...
Details (in German): http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse …
Workers from large retail chains staged protests on 2 May 2017, calling for higher wages and a ban on Sunday trading. They launched a work-to-rule protest. According to the Solidarity trade union, workers in over 1,000 shops took part in the protest. The union said that over 10,000 employees joined in. Stores where workers were expected to protest included chains such as Auchan, Biedronka, Tesco, Decathlon, Dino, Makro Cash and Carry, an Amazon distribution centre in Wrocław, south-western Poland, and H&M.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/305104,Retail-chain-employees-stage-worktorule …
Global union IFJ has backed a joint agreement signed between representatives of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot journalists at a meeting in Nicosia. The Memorandum of Understanding – designed to promote cooperation between journalists from both communities, was signed by the Union of Cyprus Journalists and the Turkish Cypriot press workers' union Basin-Sen as well as the Association of Turkish Cypriot Journalists. Representatives of the three journalist unions agreed to mutual co-operation and solidarity on issues of journalists’ safety, access to information, and adherence to professional standards. During the meeting, the participants also discussed issues such as ethics, good governance and self-regulation in their work.
English: http://www.ifj.org/nc/news-single-view/backpid/1/article/greek-and-turkish-cypriot ...
Following five months of talks with the government and health officials, five trade unions of health workers have signed a collective agreement, agreeing to a pay-rise and abandoning plans to hold long strikes in May 2017. In accordance with the agreement, the new minimum hourly wages, in force retroactively from April 1, are 10.53 euro for doctors, 6.03 euro for nurses and 3.70 euro for carers.
English: http://bnn-news.com/estonia-s-health-workers-agree-to-pay-rise-solution ...
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) published several reports. A first report was on the wage development in 2015. It reveals that more than two out of ten employees were unhappy with their salary. However, the percentages strongly vary between sectors. Almost four out of ten persons employed by government institutions said they were dissatisfied with their income. On average, police officers and firefighters are most dissatisfied with their salary, as 37% survey respondents replied they perceive their pay to be too low considering the duties they perform. In a report with data on the labour market development in 2016, a year with few strikes, the office concludes that the gross wages, concluded in collective agreements, increased on average with 1.9%. The growth is for the 2nd year substantially higher than the inflation (of 0.3%). Over a longer period (calculated from 2010), the wage growth still lags behind the inflation (respectively 1.3% against 1.5%).
English: http://nltimes.nl/2017/05/01/20-dutch-unhappy-salary-cops-firefighters-dissatisfied
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/05/fewer-strikes-in-the-netherlands/
Wage statistics: http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/publication …
Report Labour market figures 2016 (in Dutch): https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/publicatie …
Food workers trade union NGG carried out warning strikes across 36 Coca-Cola sites that lasted for a number of weeks. The difficult negotiations ultimately lead to a successful collective agreement signed by the union's bargaining commission. The NGG has been facing extensive restructuring at Coca-Cola, with the closure of many sites. The agreement brings a 2.2% pay increase for almost 8000 workers plus a training allowance. Furthermore, employees who left the company in 2017 due to restructuring measures will receive an increase of 100 euro and new trainees will receive a 50 euro increase. The NGG has also negotiated for some regions a further 100 euro increase from 2018 exclusively for its members. Efforts are under way to establish a nationwide standard remuneration framework agreement.
English: http://www.iuf.org/w ...