Civil aviation workers suspended a five-day strike planned for 20-25 June to protest against the development of the country's regional airports after receiving assurances from the government their jobs were not at risk. Civil aviation workers trade union OSYPA had called the strike after the governmental privatisation agency had published an invitation to hire an adviser to work out whether some 23 regional airports could be further developed. The union feared that such a move would result in job losses or hurt workers' labour rights. After a series of meetings, OSYPA said the government and senior officials had shown `sensitivity' over the issues that worried workers and were willing to discuss the airports' future with unions.
English: http://www.ekathimerini.com/209722/article/ekathimerini/news/greek-civil-aviation .
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Air France pilots had announced a work stoppage in a dispute over wages. That threat was backed on 2 June by several unions. The strike notice warned of a `two to four day walk-out' and was motivated by pay and the pilots defending their jobs as competition increases from other budget subsidiaries like Hop! and Transavia. They called off the strike planned for the weekend, after the incoming CEO of Air France-KLM proposed freezing new pay rules opposed by the pilots in exchange for a four-month truce. In return, the three unions (SNPL, Spaf and Alter) dropped their June 24-27 strike call.
English: http://www.thelocal.fr/20160622/air-france-pilots-call-off-strike
In a study that assesses the legal provisions related to (protection of) dismissal because of trade union actions the conclusion is drawn that the current legal acts are to a certain unconstitutional and not in line with the relevant ILO-provisions. The published (second) volume of the detailed study focused on the right to strike and the protection of workers involved in strikes. The authors found large deficits in the protection of workers against union-busting and unfair dismissals. The legal act (Obligationenrecht - OR) violates fundamental rights that are enshrined in ILO-conventions and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The study can be found (in French) on the ILO-website: https://www.seco.admin.ch/seco/fr/home/Arbeit/Internationale_Arbeitsfragen .
German: http://www.sgb.ch/themen/arbeit/arbeitsrechte/artikel/details/schutz .
French: http://www.uss.ch/themes/travail/droit-du-travail/article/details/droits-syndicaux .
Nearly 5,000 municipal employees across the country refused to work on 22 June, demanding higher wages. The two-hour strike was organized by the trade union of Civil Servants and Public Employees (MKKSZ). According to the trade union, 4,800 civil servants joined the strike in more than 100 local government offices. In some smaller cities more than half of the civil servants refused to work. The municipal employees have not received a raise in eight years. While civil servants working at the newly created district government offices are due to receive a 30 percent pay rise in July, municipal government employees have been left out.
English: http://budapestbeacon.com/civil-society/municipal-employees-hold-two-hour-strike .
Workers on the offshore oil drilling rigs signed a wage deal on 22 June, avoiding a strike. Workers will get a 0.5 percent pay rise, said the state-appointed mediator, who brokered the deal. Some 280 rig workers had threatened to strike if the talks failed, including staff on Rowan Companies' Viking and Gorilla rigs, and on the Statoil-operated Heidrun, Statfjord, Aasgard, Volve and Oseberg fields. The price of North Sea crude oil, Norway's top export, has fallen by some 60 percent since 2014, resulting in about 40,000 layoffs in the industry, according to the Norwegian Ship-owners Association, which negotiated on behalf of rig firms. It's estimated that another 15,000 will lose their jobs before activity levels recover. As part of the wage deal, it is agreed that those being laid off will have the right for a two-year period to be rehired if an employer increases staffing. In return, both unions and employers will contribute to identifying potential cost cuts, the state mediator said.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-oil-rowan .
Statistics Lithuania presented a statistical publication Lithuania in Figures 2016. The bilingual (Lithuanian and English) publication presents information on the economic and social development. Statistical information about the population, education, culture, health care, labour, industry, agriculture, construction, trade, transport, national accounts, etc. is presented in tables, graphs and diagrams. The data show that the average net monthly wage increased in the period 2005-2015 from 266 euro to 554 euro.
English: http://osp.stat.gov.lt/services-portlet/pub-edition-file?id=23138.
With ongoing negotiations about the necessary pay increase for teachers (see our earlier Newsletters), the government has publicly stated a commitment to a pay rise in 2017 of at least six percent (even as high as eight percent depending on personal evaluation). The prime minister stated that teachers and education were a priority for the government. Teachers' unions have been pushing for an increase of at least 10%.
English: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/government-commits-to-minimum-six-percent .
Over 900 workers went on strike at a Nestle factory in the north-western province of Bursa on 21 June after the company and the trade union, Tek Gida-Is, could not reach a collective agreement over disputes in wage raises. The company claimed that the proposed increase in pay and benefits was, on average, double the inflation rate. The workers came together in front of the Karacabey factory, where Nestle's chocolate, coffee and water production is carried out. Tek Gida-Is Union President said the nearly 900 workers at the factory are union members and had gone on strike. He said the collective bargaining meetings started at the beginning of the year and had continued up to now. Production has now halted in the factory. In line with legal responsibilities, a certain number of workers are inside the factory for maintenance, but all other employees are outside striking. The workers are demanding a 600-Turkish Lira raise in wages on an equal basis but the employer came with a lower offer and the parties could not reach a common point.
English: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/nearly-900-nestle-workers-go-on-strike .
The national statistical office NSI announced that the total hourly labour cost rose by 7.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016. In March, the NSI reported a 5.8% year-on-year increase in labour cost for the fourth quarter of 2015. In January-March 2016, the total hourly labour cost grew by 8.6% in industry, 7.0% in services and 8.4% in construction. In the structure of labour costs, the wages and salaries costs per hour worked grew by 7.6% in comparison with the first quarter of 2015, while non-wage costs (the actual and imputed social insurance contribution paid by employers plus taxes regarded as labour costs) rose by 7.8%.
English: http://www.novinite.com/articles/175042/Hourly+Labour+Costs .
More than 82% of the young doctors would like to emigrate, and almost 30% of them are seriously thinking about this alternative, according to a study presented by the Bucharest College of Physicians. The doctors' main reasons for wanting to emigrate are the low wages, as well as the material conditions in healthcare units, overtime, and the lack of support for research. Some of them also think of going to work abroad because they want professional recognition and affirmation.
English: http://www.romania-insider.com/young-doctors-romania-think-work-abroad .
Press statement of the College (in Romanian): https://www.cmb.ro/presa .