A workers' group of the global transport trade union ITF has launched a new organisation, Airports United, which kicked off its struggle for economic justice, safety and security with actions in 33 airports. The launch was backed by the release of ITF research that showed that, although the global airline industry is expected to make record profits of USD36.3 billion this year, airlines have created a cost cutting culture that is affecting airport workers, safety and services. According to the research, workers have faced a steady decline in wages. A new normal has emerged in which airlines have subcontracted airport work to new subsidiaries or agencies with markedly inferior terms and conditions.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2016/june/airport-workers-group .
The report: http://admin.itfglobal.org/media/1373351/record-profits-for-airlines .
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Public sector trade union ADEDY called on civil servants to walk off the job on 8 June in solidarity with hospital workers and public school teachers. The stoppage by civil service employees will allow workers to take part in a rally by the federation of public hospital workers, POEDIN, outside the Health Ministry and a march by teachers to the Parliament. In a statement, the union said that the public education and healthcare systems are being trampled on and are on the brink `of total collapse due to the coalition government's obsession with its policies' that act against the interests of the people.
English: http://www.ekathimerini.com/209226/article/ekathimerini/news/civil-servants .
Voters have rejected by a wide margin the proposal to provide a universal basic income grant to all citizens. National projections showed around 78 percent of voters rejected the initiative. Voters had to decide whether the wealthy country should grant all citizens an unconditional basic income (UBI) that supporters say will tackle poverty and inequality. Foreigners who have been legal residents for at least five years would also be eligible for the grant. The amount to be paid was not determined before the vote, but the group behind the initiative has suggested paying 2,300 euro a month to each adult.
English: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/switzerland-referendum-basic-income .
German: http://www.grundeinkommen.ch/das-medienecho-zur-abstimmung/
Trade unions vida and GPA-djp concluded a collective agreement for the spa and healing centres with private employers in the care sector (WKÖ). It includes a 1.3% pay increase from 1 July 2016, with a backdated lump sum of 220 euro to cover the period October 2015 to June 2016. The agreement runs until 31 December 2017 and includes a further pay increase on 1 January 2017 based on the average inflation rate between October 2015 and November 2016.
English: http://www.epsu.org/epsucob/2016-june-epsucobnews-07/pay-deal-spa-and .
German: http://www.vida.at/cms .
This policy brief briefly reviews the different forms, the spread and current practice of collective bargaining extension mechanisms across Europe. The author also discusses the relationship between extension mechanisms, collective bargaining coverage and union density, and formulates political recommendations of how to ensure the future of multi-employer bargaining through extension procedures.
English: http://www.etui.org/Publications2/Policy-Briefs .
During the presentation of its half-yearly report on the economic perspectives and developments, the management of the National Bank has revealed that the declining purchase power, due to the decrease of direct labour and a diminishing of the middle segment on the labour market, endangers the economic development. The growth of flexible jobs leads to a serious fall of the labour income ratio against growing profits on capital. According to the bank's spokesperson a `differentiated' pay rise is, therefore, necessary.
English: http://www.dnb.nl/en/news/news-and-archive/persberichten-2016 .
Dutch: http://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/dnb-half-miljoen-vaste-banen-weg .
Steelmaker U.S. Steel Kosice continues the reduction of its labour force with another 29 work positions scrapped as of 1 June, for the third consecutive month. Local trade unions call this a salami method by which the company avoids mass layoffs that start at 30 work positions. They believe that the steelmaker is suffering due to the bad situation at the corporation's American plants. In the three rounds of dismissal some employees accepted other jobs while others signed agreements on the termination of their work contracts. The trade unions have appealed to the Labour Inspectorate to examine whether the Collective Agreement and Labour Code were observed in the lay-offs.
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20180109/trade-unions-u-s-steel-kosice-paying .
The trade unions confederation ICTU published the third issue of its Labour Market Notes, which provides regular updates on key labour market developments. In this issue an overview of the average earnings in the first quarter of 2016 (weekly 708 euro, an increase compared to 2015 with 1.1%), the earnings across sectors (largest increase in financial, insurance and real estate services with 6.9% - largest decrease in public administration with 3.8%). The lowest paid sector is accommodation and food services.
English: http://www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/lmn_3_june_2016.pdf
The government has been called on to explain its failure to properly uphold the rights of all workers to collectively bargain with their employer - specifically freelance workers - before a hearing of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva. The ILO hearing follows a formal complaint in 2011 from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that Ireland had repeatedly failed to honour and give effect to ILO Conventions, on the right of freelance workers to bargain collectively with their employer. As a member state and a signatory to ILO Conventions the government will be required to attend the hearing and account for this failure. The effective ban on freelance workers engaging in collective bargaining follows a ruling of the Competition Authority in 2004, which categorised individual freelance workers as `business undertakings'.
English: http://www.newstalk.com/ILO-labour-laws-ICTU-Geneva-International-Labour .
Barcelona Metro workers held a four-day strike over pay and new working conditions in their collective bargaining agreement. During the four day strike the metro was running a `minimum service' of 40 percent during rush hour - between 7am and 9am and between 4pm and 6pm - while a mere 20 percent of trains were running between 8.30pm and 10pm. Barcelona Metro admitted the trains running were `insufficient'.
English: http://www.thelocal.es/20160530/chaos-in-barcelona .