Collective Bargaining

Container workers at the Port of Rotterdam have voted to hold a series of 24-hour strikes in December and January in protest at possible job cuts. The workers demand guarantees of no layoffs for the coming nine years. Major container employers ECT, APMT and RWG have rejected that demand in contract talks that have been running since April 2015.
English: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/rotterdam-port .

Statistics Lithuania published figures over the third quarter of 2015. Average gross monthly earnings in the whole economy totalled 735.1 euro (in the public sector 755.3 euro; in the private sector 724.7 euro). Against the second quarter of 2015, average gross monthly earnings in the whole economy grew by 3% (in the public sector 2.1%; in the private sector 3.5%). Average net monthly earnings in the whole economy amounted to 569.0 euro, and grew against the second quarter of 2015 by 2.7% (in the public sector 583.6 euro - an increase by 1.9%; in the private sector 561.5 euro - an increase by 3.2%).
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/analytics .

The Estonian Seamen's Independent Union (EMSA) is to turn to a public conciliator because the Estonian transit operator Transiidikeskus refused to start collective agreement talks. The company was earlier in the news because it sacked a union man (see our October Newsletter). Trade union EMSA has formulated two important conditions: monthly salaries should rise as of 2016 by at least 200 euros and seven additional paid vacation days should be given to workers. Transiidikeskus answered via their lawyer that they already had an effective collective agreement and a new elected representative to deal with.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport .

The monthly overview of contractual hourly wages shows that, at the end of October 2015, the coverage rate (share of national collective agreements in force for the wage setting) was 62.0% in terms of employees and 59.0% in terms of the total amount of wages. In October 2015 the hourly index and the index per employee increased by 0.1% from September 2015. Compared with October 2014 the hourly index and the per employee index increased by 1.2%. During the period January-October 2015, both indices rose by 1.1% compared to the same period in 2014. The update Economic Outlook for 2015 indicates that labour market conditions are expected to improve. Employment will increase by 0.6 percent in 2015, by 0.9 percent in 2016 and 0.7 percent in 2017. At the same time, the rate of unemployment will decrease at 12.1 percent in the 2015, and will further slowdown both in 2016 (11.5 percent) and 2017 (11.3 percent).
English: http://www.istat.it/en/archive/174488

Employers are to become better at preventing people going off sick because of unhealthy workloads or bullying at work. That is what new regulations from the Swedish Work Environment Authority aim to achieve. They contain clearer rules for how employers should work with organisational and social work environment issues. The regulations clarify the employers' obligations to do what is necessary to prevent employees from becoming ill because of how working time is organised. The regulations list shift work, night work, split working periods, a lot of overtime and long work shifts as examples of possibly unhealthy working time patterns, but also far-reaching possibilities to work when and where you want, combined with expectations of being constantly contactable.
English: http://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/nyheter/news .

In the midst of the oil industry's major downturn, one of the country's major labour organisations is lobbying the state hard to pump up more work to preserve jobs. Trade union Industri Energi, which represents thousands of oil sector workers, wants the state to help preserve and even create more oil sector jobs by offering tax incentives to increase oil activity, to improve labour regulations to better provide for laid-off workers, push for new job creation through rig maintenance and well-plugging, and move forward with an evaluation of opening up new offshore areas for oil exploration.
English: http://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/11/24/oil-workers-union-lobbies-for-work/

The workers at Ambulancezorg Nederland (AZN) have voted in favour of an agreement that was reached after a series of strikes. Trade unions FNV, CNV and AZN negotiated the deal that was later on balloted positively. The agreement strengthens the purchase power of ambulance workers with 6.5%; elderly workers (plus 57 years) cannot be forced to work at night and direct labour will be engaged for regular work. The agreement goes into force retroactive to January 1st and will run until 2018.
English: http://www.nltimes.nl/2015/11/04/ambulance-workers-get-7-5-pay-hike .
The text of the agreement (in Dutch): http://www.fnv.nl/site/alle-sectoren .

Trade union LANV and the government have signed a collective agreement for the period 2016-2018. LANV, the only trade union organisation, acts as social partner and is active in the provision of several services for workers. The signed agreement settles minimum wages and is supposed to secure jobs and social peace.
German: http://www.presseportal.ch/de .

Workers at Rio Tinto Alcan aluminium smelter in Straumsvík voted in favour of strike action. The strike, which has been announced for 2 December, is expected to force a total shut down of operations. Negotiations to avert the strike are ongoing, but trade unionists report little confidence in a swift solution after having been intimidated by management. If no collective bargaining agreement is reached between the six involved trade unions and the management by December 2, the strike will begin. The main point of disagreement is Rio Tinto Alcan's intention to hire more contractors instead of employing workers directly.
English: http://grapevine.is/news/2015/11/23/preparations-to-shut-down-aluminium-smelter .
http://grapevine.is/news/2015/11/06/aluminium-smelter-workers-vote-to-go-on-strike/

Postal workers have started with a strike over working conditions. Some 4,000 members of trade union PAU walked out. Workplace tension at the country's leading parcel and postal service provider Posti continues and instead of finding an accord, it seems the employer representatives and the employees are still farther apart. Negotiations have cleared a few smaller matters from the table, but many of the larger controversial issues are still unresolved. One of the thorniest issues is the terms of the so-called `change security' employers offer their employees in case they are made redundant. The strike expanded as Posti announced plans to lock out some 200 workers. PAU has asked other unions that are part of the massive SAK trade union confederation to begin sympathy strikes and received positive answers from several unions. 

English: http://yle.fi/uutiset/postal_dispute_remains_difficult.. 

http://yle.fi/uutiset/talks_overpostal_strike_starts_on_thursday/8465801