A further restructuring will lead to serious job cuts at the bank Credit Suisse, after the serious job cuts already announced in the autumn of 2015 (see our October Newsletter). The management said the problems with the investment bank's debt-trading operation became apparent only after the October strategy announcement. About 2,000 jobs will be cut in the trading, or global-markets unit (a substantial part of the cuts is planned in London and New York). Together with previously announced cuts, that brings the bank's total planned job cuts to 6,000. About 2,800 already have been implemented. Credit Suisse has about 48,000 employees, with roughly 11,000 in global markets.
English: http://www.wsj.com/articles/credit-suisse-ramps-up-restructuring .
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Tens of thousands of care workers across England and Wales are still being paid less than the minimum wage because councils are not insisting that homecare companies pay the workers their travel time, a UNISON report is warning. More than three quarters (76 per cent) of councils in England don't stipulate in their contracts with homecare providers that firms must pay employees when they are travelling between appointments. This finding is based on a recent UNISON Freedom of Information request.
English: https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2016/03/unison-calls-for-action .
The report: https://www.unison.org.uk/content .
After his installation as president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker promised to strengthen the social dimension of the EU. The Commission has now published a first draft version of the so-called `European Pillar of Social Rights' (EPSR) that is used for a broad consultation. The EPSR has three sections: `equal opportunities and access to labour markets', `fair working conditions', and `adequate and sustainable social protection'. The objectives are more than ambitious: it aims at re-establishing a `social triple A' for Europe. It is also designed to help overcome the crisis and renew convergence within the Euro area. Despite these aspirations, the EPSR is not intended to be enshrined in law, e.g. as part of the European Treaties. Instead of amending the `social acquis', the EPSR should `complement' the legal status quo. The website Social Europe published a critical assessment of the EPSR. In parallel, the European Commission presented a targeted revision of the rules on posting of workers, as set out in the 2016 Commission work programme. The aim of the proposal is to facilitate the provision of services across borders within a climate of fair competition and respect for the rights of posted workers, who are employed in one Member State and sent to work temporarily in another by their employer. More specifically, the initiative aims at ensuring fair wage conditions and a level playing field between posting and local companies in the host country.
English (whole dossier Social Pillar): http://ec.europa.eu/social/main .
English (whole dossier Posting): http://ec.europa.eu/social/main .
Comments: https://www.socialeurope.eu/2016/03/european-pillar-social-rights ...
https://www.etuc.org/press/posted-workers-revision .
After a period of unsuccessful negotiations followed by a long series of strikes, the trade unions and employer representatives in the metal sector reopened the negotiations. At the end of February the delegations reached an accord in principle for a new collective agreement. The agreement, with a duration of 37 months (1 May 2015 till 1 June 2018), was sent to the members for approval. By the end of March it came out that the deal was overwhelmingly backed up by the union members. The agreement includes a nominal improvement of the youth wages, a general pay increase of 2.1% on 1 April 2016, a nominal bonus of 0.5% in July 2016, a general increase of 1.25% on 1 January 2017, a nominal bonus of 0.6% in March 2017, a general increase of 1% on 1 August 2017 and a general wage increase of 1.55% on 1 January 2018. Additionally, employers pay a levy to the sectoral social funds in 2016 and 2017 for training and education.
English: https://www.fnv.nl/site/alle-sectoren/sectoren/fnv-metaal .
Special: agreement journal (in Dutch): https://www.fnv.nl/site/alle-sectoren .
Unions representing striking workers at Limassol Port will be meeting to discuss how to proceed, after the management of the company agreed to delay its discussion on port privatisation. However, at least one union, SIDIKEK-PEO, has indicated its members will continue their work stoppage. Port workers in Limassol have declared an indefinite strike in protest over privatisation plans (see earlier Newsletters). The transport ministry believes there is no basis for the strike and stated that in a worst case scenario, some port employees could be assigned different duties within the civil service.
English: http://in-cyprus.com/port-strike-developments-anticipated/
The Labour Force Survey carried out by Statistics Austria shows that 4,148 million people were employed on average in 2015. Compared to the annual average for 2014 (4,113 million), their number increased by 35,600. There also was a rise in the number of employees (+43,000) and a slight increase of self-employed people, while the number of unpaid family workers decreased (-16,100). The number of part-time employees increased (+31,900) as well as that of full-time employees, albeit to a smaller extent (+11,100). The German version provides detailed comparative data over 2015, 2014 and 2010.
English: http://www.statistik.at/web_en/statistics/PeopleSociety/labour_market .
German: http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse .
Collective bargaining has started in practically all branches. The broad labour market pact, or the so-called competitiveness pact, was drafted between employer's associations and trade union confederations at the end of February (see the 1 March item below). The trade unions have been busy deliberating over the pact and almost all of them have now agreed to open negotiations on their collective agreements in order to implement the changes agreed in the national pact. This means that the national pact covers more than 90% of the employees. The biggest unions to say no to the pact are the Finnish Construction Trade Union, the Finnish Food Workers' Union and the Transport Workers' Union.
English: http://heikkijokinen.info/en/trade-union-news-from-finland/983-unions-ready .
Labour offices are preparing a campaign with financial contributions towards travel expenses in order to encourage labour mobility. The ministry of social affairs first unveiled its plan to introduce financial compensations to boost labour mobility in October 2015. The finances will be covered from the state budget. Financial support towards travel expenses will be available to people who make less than an average salary; it can only be granted to those with a permanent work contract or a fixed-term contract exceeding one year. Besides, unable to find qualified locals, firms are keen to hire plumbers, welders, fitters and machinists from Ukraine. There is such a shortage in some areas that companies are willing to overlook the language barrier. A draft government project to attract Ukrainian employees so far only targeted at university graduates, but may be amended.
English: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/business/czech-labour-offices-to-subsidize .
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/press-czech-firms-want-ukraine-workers-even .
Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) worker unions have called their members to a long-term work stoppage starting on 6April 2016 in protest to the state's ongoing plans to split the semi-government organisation. A cabinet decision on splitting the EAC into two entities was a precondition set by the Troika of international lenders for disbursing the next and final loan tranche of €400 million by the end of March 2016. Unions fear that splitting EAC into transmission and production and supply on the other, will make it easier in the future for the government to sub-contract part or even the whole company to a private-sector operators who can offer lower costs. Cyprus' electricity market was legally liberalised in January 2014.
English: http://in-cyprus.com/eac-workers-strike-april-6/
After 5 suppliers to the Volvo car factory in the city of Ghent lost their contracts to supply the factory 820 jobs are under threat. Volvo has decided that in future it will carry out the work that had been done by the suppliers in-house. The work carried out by the suppliers will be phased out between 2017 and 2019. Some of the work previously done by the suppliers will be carried out at Volvo plants abroad. The trade unions have the impression that Volvo doesn't intend to take on staff from the suppliers that will lose their jobs.
English: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Economy .