Delegates from global trade union Public Services International (PSI) met with the Sweden's state secretary for Migration, on the week of the UN High Level Summit on Migrants and Refugees in New York. PSI shared its concerns on the outcome of the summit, underscoring the need to see real and concrete commitments among States in equitably sharing the responsibility for refugees. The state secretary shared the country's long-standing tradition of welcoming asylum seekers and refugees and explained how the government is working towards promoting inclusion and self-reliance through its fast-track programme. In collaboration with the trade unions, the fast-track programme, works to shorten the waiting period for a refugee to integrate into the labour market. Both delegations agree on the important role of the unions in addressing the situation of migrants and refugees.
English: http://www.world-psi.org/en/psi-meets-swedish-state-secretary-migration
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Trade union confederation DGB has formulated its demands for the wages and working conditions in the agency sector. Agency workers earn on average around two third of the wage of the permanent staff. Therefore, the union comes with the proposal for a 6% pay increase. Moreover, also the gap between the workers in the Western and eastern parts of the country has to disappear. In a survey that was organised before the actual negotiations, an overwhelming majority of the agency workers (in East and West) approved the alignment of the wages in both parts of the country.
Dossier (in German): http://www.dgb.de/tarifrunde-leiharbeit
http://www.dgb.de/themen .
The trade, shipping and energy conglomerate AP Moller-Maersk Group has entered a turbulent stage of restructuring. Maersk announced a split into two separate divisions: Transport & Logistics and Energy. Its units APM Terminals, Maersk Line, Svitzer, Maersk Container Industry and Damco will be consolidated in the Transport division, while Maersk Oil, Maersk Drilling, Maersk Tankers and Maersk Supply Services will be grouped in the Energy division. The consequences for workers are unclear. Notably the energy division is in bad weather. In August Maersk Drilling laid off 122 employees after one of its rigs, the Maersk Valiant, lost a contract prematurely to one of its customers last week. Later that month, Maersk announced plans to lay off about 400 employees as part of the company's austerity measures. Management referred to an unprecedented market situation that forces the company to adjust the volume of employees.
English: http://cphpost.dk/news/business/maersk-to-split-into-two-divisions.html
http://cphpost.dk/news/business/maersk-to-lay-off-400-employees.html
Members of Scotland's biggest offshore union have voted to end an industrial dispute that led to the first North Sea strike in a generation. In July 2016, members of trade union Unite working on Shell platforms across the North Sea started strike action after rejecting proposed cuts by their employer, the oil facilities company Wood Group. The workers faced losing up to 30% in pay and allowances. A proposal to end the dispute was put to members on 12 September 2016 and the union members have accepted it by 105 votes to 82. Unite regional officer said that their negotiations with Wood Group allowed to reduce the levels of cuts being proposed to our members' wages and terms and conditions.
English: http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/scotland/latestnews .
Observers say that the management of Bratislava-based carmaker Volkswagen Slovakia and the trade unions are heading towards an agreement. The trade union delegate at the company has said the management has accepted some of the union's points, including jointly preparing measures to support senior employees and other points concerning social welfare and improving relations between the management and workers. Earlier on 13 September 2016, hundreds of members of the staff at Volkswagen Slovakia joined a protest in front of the factory in Bratislava over what they call discrimination against longer-term employees by the management. Some employees are uneasy over the fact that the management is giving out extraordinary perks in order to attract new employees. As opposed to existing staff, new employees are entitled to free transport for six months and a one-off bonus of €500.
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20283363/no-plans-for-further-staff-protests .
After a lustre recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, the central bank has warned that the labour market faces a squeeze as unemployment falls, the population ages and young people shun vocational jobs. In a report issued on 16 September 2016 the bank says that the country is technically at full employment and that the economy could be hit if the country does not find ways of growing its labour force. According the central bank 3rd quarterly 2016 report, unemployment has now reached its 'structural level'. There are no labour reserves among the unemployed and signs of pressures on the labour market. The statement added that the clearest indications are reporting of labour shortages in both the construction and manufacturing sectors.
English: https://www.thelocal.dk/20160921/denmark-eyes-looming-skills-shortage .
https://www.thelocal.dk/20160915/danish-central-bank-warns-country-at-full-employment
The OECD has published an index that compares well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life. The latest evidence on well-being in 11 different dimensions of life suggests that OECD countries have diverse patterns of strengths and weaknesses. Predictably, countries ranking in the top third of the OECD in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita terms tend to do well overall, especially in relation to material well-being outcomes such as household income and earnings. Nonetheless, countries can have comparative weaknesses in areas such as job security, air quality, housing affordability, and work life balance at any level of GDP per capita. This report shows where even richer OECD countries still have room to improve the well-being of their citizens.
English: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org .
OECD data: http://stats.oecd.org/Index .
The new government, which is still subject of coalition negotiations, will almost immediately have to make a number of tough financial decisions. In 2017, the country must refinance about 30 billion kuna in debts (excluding treasury bills) and negotiations will need to start with trade unions representing workers in the public sector about pay increases, which had been promised to them. The Association of Croatian Trade Unions stated that, if no agreement is reached by the end of 2016, the trade unions will take legal action and demand the payment of about seven billion kuna. About 180,000 employees in public services and about 63,000 employees in the civil service have the right to an increase of base salary by 6%, since GDP has increased by at least 2% in two consecutive quarters. That was settled in an agreement signed in 2009, at the beginning of the financial crisis when the union accepted a delay in the pay raise they were promised earlier.
English: https://www.total-croatia-news.com/item/14152-trade-unions-to-sue-government .
DG Employment published an assessment of the national implementation of the agreement that the European social partners BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC signed on 26 April 2007. The autonomous framework agreement on violence and harassment at work required the member federations of signatory parties to cooperate on the improvement of working conditions by establishing and promoting mechanisms to identify, prevent and manage problems of harassment and violence occurring at the workplace. The study and annexes take into account the procedures and practices specific to management and labour in each country, as well as information on the extent of the phenomenon across Europe.
English: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main .
The Helsinki District Court has ruled, for the first time, that the ride-sharing Uber service is an unauthorised form of entrepreneurship. The rulings were handed down in two trials of Uber drivers, and dozens more are awaiting investigation and prosecution. The court found that the drivers' actions counted as professional transportation necessitating a taxi operating license, which neither defendant had.
English: http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/uber_drivers_lose_test_case .