On 20 April, metalworkers held a massive successful mobilisation during a four-hour national strike across the country. In many factories and offices activities remained completely blocked. Rallies and meetings were organised at almost 100 central squares all over the country. One the most successful mobilisations took place at Comer Industries (Reggio Emilia province) at the home company of current president of Federmeccanica (the Employers' Federation of Metalworking Industries). Some 90 per cent of 430 employees went on strike, and at GE Oil & Gas in Florence, the company where the current general director of the metalworking industry organisation of employers comes from, 70 per cent went on strike. The strike was a clear signal of support to the negotiations over renewal of the national contract for metalworkers.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/italian-metalworkers-hold-a-successful .
The Milan mobilisation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch .
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The legal minimum wage scales for youngsters have often been criticised. The scales are among the lowest in the EU. Currently one in six of the under-23s earns the minimum wage. An 18-year-old on minimum pay earns €32 gross a day. The government has announced that the minimum wage for youngsters will be increased slightly and the age at which adult rates apply will be lowered in stages from 23 to 21 years.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/04/government-poised-to-raise .
The current youth wage scales: https://www.government.nl/topics/minimum-wage/contents .
The Energy Sector Trade Union organised a general strike in the sector. A three-week collective action in the energy sector started on 3 April, with the umbrella trade union seeking a restructuring of the industry and the suspension of layoffs. Both the government, towards which the strike was directed, and employers claimed that the action was unwarranted. The strike was first suspended and later on ended after it was agreed that the issues which triggered the strike will be addressed in dialogue.
English: http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/energy-union-an-important-step .
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/energy-sector-workers-go-on-strike
The National Competitiveness Council, established by government in 1997 as part of the Partnership 2000 Agreement, has published its latest report Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2016. The report benchmarks the main costs facing enterprises, across over 50 indicators, with Chapter 3 dedicated to labour costs. It focuses on areas where Irish costs are out of line with those in key competitor countries and concentrates on costs that are largely domestically determined. While the Irish economy is experiencing rapid growth, the global economy is not proving as robust. The Council states that, in order to protect the competitiveness gains made to date, the country must continue to enhance all aspects of its competitiveness.
English: http://www.competitiveness.ie/News-Events .
The dockworkers' trade union section of Solidarnosc and Deepwater Container Terminal (DCT) Gdansk finalised a collective agreement. The agreement brings an end to a bitter three-year dispute that has included complaints from the union over victimisation and harassment by the employer and the firing of union leaders. There has been support from the global trade union community with demonstrations at DCT Gdansk and in other European countries targeting the bank that owns the port. The historic agreement, valid until 31 March 2019, covers pay rates, hours of work, holidays and general conditions for 600 workers at a fast-growing new terminal. A second terminal is due to open next year and the workforce will grow to 1500 workers as the port seeks to become the main gateway to Russia and central Europe.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2016/april/celebration-as-polish .
The ailing steel company KVV Liepajas Metalurgs has already dismissed more than 100 workers, and plans to lay off another 150 workers by the end of April 2016. The management is aware of the fact that they there is the risk to lose qualified workers irreversibly - people with years of experience. This will make a revival of the production process in the future more difficult. The plant, based in the south-western Liepaja port city, has been struggling with financial problems since it was acquired by the KVV Group in October 2014. KVV agreed to invest over the next 10 years.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/markets_and_companies .
A report published by the Multicultural Center Prague reveals how subcontracting has become an important form of employment for migrant workers in low-skilled jobs, where labour rights violations have been common. Cases were collected through a number of public hearings with migrant workers as well as interviews and meetings with local stakeholders. The country report focuses on different types of indirect work through subcontracting instead of sector-specific aspects of migrant workers' labour. It provides cases of labour rights violations from the automobile, electronics and floral industries. Another NGO, the Centre for Integration of Foreigners, has launched a project which aims to both help individual foreign workers fight for their rights and to raise awareness about the problem in society. The NGO also concludes that abuse on the labour market is still one of the most common problems addressed.
English: http://www.migrationonline.cz/czech_republic_country_report.pdf
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/foreign-workers-still-face-widespread-abuse .
The parliament has given a go-ahead of more overtime hours in the debate on the new Labour Code. The decision is not yet final - after discussing the entire Labour Code, the parliament will vote on the entire bill before proceeding to the phase of adoption. The government says that the new, more liberal Code is necessary in order to attract more investment and create new jobs. Trade unions say, however, that it will lead to a reduction of social guarantees for employees, primarily due to shorter periods of notice of termination of employment and smaller severance payments.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation .
The Free Trade Union Confederation will hold a major rally on 1 May calling for `respectable jobs and respectable remuneration for healthy and educated people'. The trade union of Health and Social Care Employees that is fighting for improvements in healthcare has already decided to support and participate in the May 1 rally. Participation in the planned protest campaigns in the health sector is open for every citizen.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation .
Eesti Energia Tehnoloogiatoostus, the technology arm of the state-owned energy group Eesti Energia, has cut a couple of hundred jobs, reducing the workforce from 609 (in 2015) to 425 workers. The majority of the remaining employees are working four days a week, under an arrangement initially in force from 18 March to the end of April, in the absence of orders.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/energy .