Figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) for the third quarter of 2015 reveal that, during this period, the average monthly wage was the highest in Sofia, where it stood at BGN 1193 (611 euro). Sofia is also the only region in which the average wage was above the average figure for the country, with the difference being 36.5%. Surprisingly, the second highest average wage was registered in Vratsa, one of the poorest regions of the country. The highest remunerations were earned in the information sector with a 13.3% increase compared to 2014 due to the competition for qualified IT cadres. In twelve sectors, which employ more than 1.7 million people or more than 77 % of all workers, wages were lower than the average country figure.
English: http://www.novinite.com/articles/172131/Average+Wage+in+Bulgaria+Ranges+from .
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The second general strike in a month mobilised some 15,000 protestors. The general strikes are organised to protest the austerity measures imposed in the crisis. In order to secure a bailout package, the government coalition has passed legislation that will increase the pension age, raise health care contributions and cut levels of pension payments.
English: http://www.dw.com/en/thousands-go-on-strike-in-greece .
http://chronicledaily.com/2015/12/07/thousands-demonstrate .
Cleaning staff at public schools went on strike at the beginning of December to complaint that they have not been paid for up to five months. The Federation of Private Sector Employees (OIYE) issued a statement saying that the cleaners had not been paid since June and find themselves in a `terrible situation'. The workers are also disputed the government's plans to cut their salaries by 10 percent. In addition, they want their positions made permanent and their work to be deemed unhealthy and hazardous.
English: http://www.ekathimerini.com/204113/article/ekathimerini/news/school-cleaning .
At the moment, a pilot project on basic income is conducted with a small fraction of the population. The project is undertaken by Kela, the Finnish Social Insurance Institution that runs basic unemployment, health, family, and many other benefit programs. If the trial is a success, the government could go all in, but that could be years off. Nonetheless, the country is on the verge of conducting the most methodologically rigorous and comprehensive test of basic income to date. So far, the initiative has already polled the population and found widespread support for the idea: 69 percent of Finns reported support for a basic income, with the median respondent calling for a minimum of €1,000 a month.
English: http://www.vox.com/2015/12/8/9872554/finland-basic-income-experiment
Industrial and legal action by the Union Haddiema Maghqudin has been withdrawn following an agreement with Malta Public Transport. The company and the union held an urgent meeting to find a solution to the union recognition situation. It was agreed that the UHM would be given sole recognition immediately. A meeting followed for the two sides to agree on a plan of action on how to proceed for a collective agreement. The company explained it was finalising the verification process in a rigorous manner to ensure that the result was final for the sake of stability in the interest of workers and the public. The union had ordered drivers not to collect fares or handle ticketing machines. The union ordered the action claiming the company was delaying the union recognition verification process.
English: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20151206/local/bus-company-union .
Public broadcasting station MTVA plans to lay off 129 employees in its advertising and technical departments by the end of January 2016. The announcement follows MTVA's move earlier this year to outsource the sale of advertising time. MTVA has been in financial difficulties for years, having already laid off 900 in 2011 and another 200 people in 2013.
English: http://budapestbeacon.com/featured-articles/mtva-to-discharge-another .
The 24th edition of the annual yearbook on poverty and social exclusion of the Antwerp University has a special focus on child poverty and low-income families. Almost one child in five under 18 in Belgium (18.8%) lives below the poverty line, against 15.9% ten years ago. This proportion rises to 36.4% among single-parent families and up to 53.8% for children whose parents are `uneducated'. The risk of poverty among those aged 18-24 is approximately 18.8%, which shows an increase since 2008. The average monthly number of beneficiaries of the equivalent living wage has risen by 3.9% between 2013 and 2014, and by 5.1% among people under 25 years old.
English: http://brusselstimes.com/belgium/4643/in-belgium-almost-one-in-five-children .
Summary of the report (in Dutch): https://www.uantwerpen.be/images/uantwerpen/container .
A survey among employers and employees shows that the end of year benefit that most workers will receive this year is the Christmas bonus. The next most popular benefits were a 13th month payment and gift vouchers. They survey was executed by HR company General Human Resources, which also reported employers are increasingly offering employees bonuses and other perks to retain staff.
English: http://www.romania-insider.com/what-benefits-do-romanian-employees-expect .
Police officers are on strike over the implementation of an agreement signed in July 2013, as reported in our newsletter. The agreement included commitments to replace old materials and equipment, like cars, to guarantee police officers can do their jobs safely. On 10 December, police officers will retire old cars by themselves, refusing to drive cars with too many years or kilometres on them. Despite union statements to the contrary, the strike over equipment is interpreted as an escalation of simultaneous strike action over wages, which started on 18 November. Police officers are demanding a 35% wage increase in the new collective agreement, which is currently being negotiated.
English: http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/policemen-have-had-enough .
http://www.sloveniatimes.com/police-to-strike-on-18-november
The arrival of large numbers of immigrants has sparked a new debate on the minimum wage. Employers' associations have renewed their call for a national minimum wage to better integrate immigrants into the labour market, arguing it could reign in exploitation and make it more difficult for employers whose workplace are not covered by collective bargaining to undercut wages. Trade unions, on the other hand, fear a national minimum wage will negatively affect their bargaining position in the standard sector-wide wage setting processes. Labour research institute Fafo highlights an additional problem for unions in negotiating wages in diverse work places, pointing out that the labour movement is nearly universally Norwegian while immigrants constitute 15% of the workforce. As such, a large immigrant labour force on minimum wage jobs would represent an even larger organising challenge for the trade unions.
English: http://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/12/03/unions-warn-of-labour-underclass/