Collective Bargaining

An analysis carried out by the think-tank Kraka for Finans shows that for certain groups of highly-educated workers, there is only a modest difference between their salary level and that of an unskilled worker. The analysis reveals that those with an arts education on average only make about 1,000 kroner, or 134 euro, more (before tax) per month than an unskilled worker. It also shows that a humanities graduate with a five-year university education often only earns 1,800 kroner (241 euro) a month more than someone who took an apprenticeship and vocational education in a trade.
English: http://cphpost.dk/news/arts-and-humanities-grads-not-earning-much-more .
Report (in Danish): http://www.kraka.org/sites .

Workers at Amazon have picketed the country headquarters demanding management engage in social dialogue. Amazon, which has been in an extended dispute with German trade unions over the recognition of collective agreements, now refused to recognise the Polish trade unions. The workers demand respect for labour law, the start of wage negotiations, better on-site meals and a stop to the continuous raising of production targets. Unionists are calling on management to recognise its workers are not robots.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/polish-workers-amazon-we-are-not-robots

Trade union LANV was consulted by the government on proposals related to work on Sunday and public holidays. LANV is adhering to a weekly day of rest. According to the union the proposals are a further step in the flexibilisation and an attack on workers' rights. The proposed measures will have serious consequences for the balance between work and family life and increase the time pressure on the workforce.
German: http://www.lanv.li/Portals/0/Content/Aktuelles ...

Workers at the Ismaco plant have won a hard fought collective agreement. The workers, organised by garment union Deretiks, started fighting for labour rights at the Ismaco plant, a supplier to top Italian brand Ermenegildo Zegna in 2012. After a long battle, the union was finally recognised early 2015 and received ministerial authorisation to start collective negotiations in June. The negotiations have now paid off and the plant's first collective agreement was signed on 27 November.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/turkey-long-standing-campaign-crowned .

A report by the Institute for Family Policies (IFP) shows that Spain has the most rigid and longest working hour practices in the EU. It was found that 80% of the citizens believe their work-life balance is negatively impacted by long work hours and lack of possibilities to work from home. Work schedules and school or kinder garden schedules are notoriously out of sync, making it especially hard for parents to combine work and care tasks. The researchers condemn the spirit of presenteeism, which leads workers to stay in the office for extremely long hours regardless of productivity, in order to be perceived as hard working.
English: http://www.thelocal.es/20151202/spain-has-most-inflexible-working-conditions .

Campaigners are celebrating a significant victory in the fight to end all forms of forced labour and trafficking after the country ratified the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Forced Labour Protocol, which strengthens and updates the 1930 Forced Labour Convention (Convention 29) by adding new measures to prevent, protect and compensate those affected. Trade union confederation LO stated that in many societies the issues that Convention 29 was created to deal with are still unpleasantly current. The trade union's experience is that forced labour appears together with social dumping and violations of the Working Environment Act and criminal activities.
English: http://www.equaltimes.org/norway-ratification-boosts .

Deutsche Lufthansa AG reached an agreement with trade union Verdi on the wages and pensions of around 33,000 ground crew and personnel. Lufthansa agreed to increase the wages of its workers at Lufthansa-Systems, Lufthansa-Service GmbH, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cargo by 2.2% on 1 January 2016, as well as providing a one-off payment of 2,250 euro for all full-time employees. Trainees with the airline will receive a payment of 600 euro. The airline and union also announced an agreement that will ensure all employees will receive their employer-funded pension plans. The deal will see workers make a 1% equity contribution to their pensions between 2016 and 2018.
English: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lufthansa-signs-pay-deal-with-33000-workers .
http://www.dw.com/en/lufthansa-unions-take-step-to-end-hostility .

The management of the postal distributor PostNL and the trade union FNV, CNV and VHP2 reached an agreement in principle for a social plan in October 2015. A ballot on the deal was submitted to the union members, with the 30th November as a deadline. A majority of trade union members voted in favour and thereafter, on 2 December 2015, the negotiation partners signed the definitive agreement. The social plan covers important aspects of the employment relationship of the employees and the provisions that apply in case of restructuring. The concluded agreement has a duration of 5 years and will go into effect on 1 January 2016 (thus, until 31 December 2020).
English: http://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/press-releases/2015/december .
The signed social plan (in Dutch): http://www.fnv.nl/site/alle-sectoren/caos .

The strike at Rio Tinto's aluminium smelter in Straumsvík planned for 2 December was cancelled. Still, no agreement has been reached between the negotiating parties. Employees of the smelter are very unhappy with the decision and are considering resigning. A statement from the negotiating committee claims there is no point in striking in light of repeated threats from management that the aluminium smelter would then be closed. According to the statement, employees had requested a pay raise comparable to what other workers in the labour market have received lately. The negotiating committee claims Rio Tinto's actual intentions are unclear, but the unions suspect the company's goal is either to reach some sort of negotiating position with Icelandic authorities or to avoid responsibility for its decisions regarding the future of the smelter.
English: http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/12/02/aluminum-smelter-strike-canceled

The Government outlined its plans on the long-debated social welfare and health care reform. Currently, health care is the responsibility of joint municipal authorities and local authorities. There are some 190 of them. From the beginning of 2019 responsibility will rest with the 18 regions, of which 15 will organise health care and social services in their own areas separately or by themselves. Three regions will do this with the support of one of the other regions. The decision to divide the country into 18 autonomous health care regions will mean transferring more than 200,000 employees to new employers. The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals criticised the move and stated that the number of regions is too big to reach the goals of citizens' equal high-quality services, bridge the gap in health differences and have better cost effectiveness. Trade unions are also worried about the effects the new system will have on employees in social welfare and health care. The Unions demand that the impact of such changes on staff in these sectors must be assessed and clarified before any final decisions are reached.
English: http://heikkijokinen.info/en/trade-union-news-from-finland/914-unions-concerned .