In a Global Labour Column the plans to introduce a `national living wage' for workers over 25 are discussed. The government intends to increase the living wage to £9 per hour by 2020. Although this appears to be high, the living wage would still be less than two-thirds of the median wage in the UK. The author concludes that, although a higher minimum wage is welcome, increasing its level from the current rate of £6.70 per hour to upwards of £7.20 per hour raises concerns regarding the effectiveness of the existing enforcement regime. Businesses in traditional low wage sectors, including agriculture, hospitality, retail and social care, have argued they will find it difficult to pay the national living wage. Minimum wages only help those who rely upon them if they are paid, or put differently, if they are effectively enforced.
English: http://column.global-labour-university.org/2015/10/the-national-living-wage.
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Transiidikeskus AS, a stevedoring services company based around the port of Tallinn, has dismissed a union representative of the Estonian Independent Seamen's Union (EISU). His dismissal happened after he spoke out in a picket line speech about poor working conditions and anti-union discrimination by the employer. An online appeal has been launched calling for the reinstatement.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2015/october/labourstart.
The chief executive of Credit Suisse has announced a new strategy of the bank that will axe thousands of jobs and raise billions in fresh capital. The bank aims to save 3.5 billion Swiss francs (3.2 billion euro) by the end of 2018 by, among other things, cutting loose a significant number of the some 60,000 people it employs globally. In all, some 5,000 jobs are likely to be cut worldwide, including 1,600 in Switzerland.
English: http://www.thelocal.ch/20151021/credit-suisse-announces-5000-job-cuts
The Council of Latvia's Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers has decided to hold a protest at the Saeima (parliament) building and launch preparations for a strike. The main reason for the protest is the further reductions in the health budget planned by the government. According to the trade union, the government has set the healthcare budget at 3% of gross domestic product in 2016, or less than 3.1% this year. This is contrary to the World Health Organization and European Commission's recommendations to improve access to healthcare and quality of healthcare. The trade union has three demands: higher healthcare quotas, reducing patients' co-payments, and increasing average wages for healthcare workers.
English: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/markets_and_companies/.
The Economic Council of the Labour Movement (Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd - ECLM) has released a report showing that income inequality has been increasing since the mid-1980s and really took off after 2003. According to ECLM, the richest ten percent of Danes saw their incomes rise by 30 percent between 2003 and 2013 while the poorest ten percent saw their actual wages fall over the same period. Since 1985, only the wealthiest 20 percent of Danes have seen their disposable incomes increase, while all other groups have experienced a financial setback.
English: http://www.thelocal.dk/20151021/bernie-sanders-will-not-like-this-report.
The report (in Danish): http://www.ae.dk/sites/www.ae.dk/files/dokumenter/analyse/.
Trade unions and management at the country's biggest sugar group, Tereos, reached a pay settlement. A weeklong strike that has disrupted production ended and work was resumed at its plants. A strike had put a question mark over this year's production season, when Tereos plans to process about 15 million tonnes of sugar beet, or nearly half the French crop. The company said activity was returning to normal after it reached an agreement with the CFDT, CGT and FO unions, which launched the strike over pay. The signed protocol includes a 1.1 percent general wage increase and 0.3 percent for individual wage increases.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/tereos-strike-agreement.
A long dispute at one of the suppliers of handbags and purses for the luxury brand Mulberry has ended (see our July and September Newsletters). The factory management has agreed to allow the organisation of a trade union. Pending court cases against the unions will be dropped and workers involved in the industrial action will receive full compensation. The nine-month campaign included demonstrations worldwide. The unions think that it is of the utmost importance to monitor the implementation of the deal.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/industriall-campaign-contributes-to.
After failed talks with pilot unions, the conflict between Air France and its staff rose to unprecedented heights as the airline announced a restructuring plan involving 2,900 redundancies (1,700 ground staff, 900 cabin crew, and 300 pilots). Amidst a large protest, a group of some 100 protesters stormed the executive meeting where the restructuring plan was being finalised and attacked the Air France managers, tearing the shirts off their backs. The executives were evacuated from the premises among both politicians and trade union condemnation of the violence against them. Management has said it is still willing to negotiate with the unions, but under specific conditions. The trade unions unconditionally deplored the social violence - and denounced the isolated incident in an otherwise peaceful demonstration. The international trade union confederation ITF expressed its opposition to any attempt to criminalise the actions of trade unions; ITF is demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed workers.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2015/october/itf-affiliates.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/05/air-france-workers-storm-meeting.
The WSI-Tarifarchivs of the Hans-Böckler-Foundation has produced an overview of the collective agreements that expire in the course of 2016. The authors found out that (between the end of 2015 and the end of 2016) collective bargaining will have to lead to new agreements on wages and working conditions of some 12 million workers, including the public sector at national, regional and local level. Negotiations will have to start at larger companies like Volkswagen, Deutsche Bahn and Deutsche Telekom. Large sectors like construction, banking, metal and electricians and the chemical industry are also scheduled for 2016.
German: http://www.dgb.de/themen/++co++6f76315e-7709-11e5-b02a-52540023ef1a
Expiring agreements in 2016 (in German): http://www.boeckler.de/pdf/pm.
The Bertelsmann Foundation conducts an annual study of developments in opportunities for social participation in all 28 EU member states. The applied monitor looks at 6 dimensions (poverty prevention, equitable education, labour market access, social cohesion and non-discrimination, health, intergenerational justice). The authors resume in the report `Social Justice in the EU - Index Report 2015' that nearly one-quarter of EU citizens (24.6%) are currently regarded as being at-risk-of poverty or social exclusion - an extremely high and worrisome value. Measured against today's total EU population, this corresponds to approximately 122 million people. Despite economic recovery, the gap between young and old is growing and the social divide between northern and southern Europe remains immense.
English: https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/.