Collective Bargaining

Workers at the public train operator Renfe and Adif, the company that is responsible for most of the country's railway infrastructure, have been striking every Friday since the start of September. The strikes are taking place on Friday during three separate time periods. The trade unions want more staffing and are calling for a replacement plan for aging personnel. They are as well protesting against the breakdown of negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.
English: http://www.thelocal.es/20151016/spanish-train-drivers-set-to-strike-on-friday

Although the government permanently comes up with news on economic recovery and employment growth (and a decrease of unemployment to 21.2%), a report of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is less positive. According to the report, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion rose to 13.6 million in 2014, representing 29.2 percent of the total population. It reveals that a further 790,800 people fell into the group during 2014, a rise of two percentage points on the year before. This marks an overall rise of 4.5 percent since 2009 when the effects of the economic crisis really started to bite.
English: http://www.thelocal.es/20151015/economic-recovery-almost-one-third-of.
Focus on the report (in Spanish): http://eapn.es/ARCHIVO/documentos/noticias/.

Following submissions by concerned employer and trade union organisations the ILO (International Labour Organisation) has agreed two far-reaching resolutions - one for action on road safety and one on transport network companies such as Uber. The resolution on transport network companies (TNCs) backs the use of new technology that complies with laws and regulations and stresses the need for all providers to work from a `level playing field' under which safety and working conditions are regulated for the good of all. It also acknowledges the need for decisions taken by competent authorities or the judiciary in relation to ride-sharing-for-reward transport platforms to be enforced. The other resolution is on safe road transport.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/press-releases/2015/october/.

The employers' organisations in the chemical sector (Federchimica and Farmindustria) and the trade unions (FILCTEM-CGIL, FEMCA-CISL, UILTEC-UIL) have concluded a national collective agreement for the period 2016-2018. Included is a nominal average wage increase of 90 euro, in three tranches (40 euro by January 2017, 35 euro by January 2018 and 15 euro by December 2018). The agreement applies to 171,000 workers and some 3,000 companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, chemical fibres, abrasives, lubricants and LPG sectors. The agreement runs from 1 January 2016 and expires on 31 December 2018. Workers have to vote on the agreement before the end of November 2015.
Italian: http://www.ipsoa.it/~/media/Quotidiano/2015/10/16/Chimica-aziende.

There is no reason not to raise wages when the economy is growing by 4 percent and some companies' profit reaches 15 percent of profitability, but people themselves have to enforce wage hikes via trade unions, President Milos Zeman said during an official visit to the Zlín region. According to Zeman, wages make up only 7 to 8 percent of total costs of companies in the country, and only 17 percent of employees are members of trade unions.
English: http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/50234-wednesday-new-briefing.

Taxi drivers in Nicosia announced a four-hour strike on 20 October. The drivers are calling on the government to address the problem workers in the sector are facing. The list of demands includes the creation of new parking spaces, lower fees for licenses and more inspection to combat competition from unlicensed cab drivers, who are driving down prices. The taxi drivers said that unless a serious dialogue is opened, another 11-hour strike would follow on 3 November.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/10/15/taxi-drivers-to-go-on-strike/

Public transport workers in Amsterdam and Utrecht are organising a rush hour strike on 15 October. The strikes will mean there are no buses, trams or metro services in Amsterdam and no buses in Utrecht until 8.30, with transport expected to be back to normal between 10:30 and 11:00. The FNV transport union is organising the action in a series of public sector strikes following a pay deal from which it was excluded, as reported in last month's newsletter. Utrecht bus company Qbuzz attempted to block the strike by going to court, arguing that as a private company its employees are not covered under the disputed agreement and will not be affected by it. However, the court rejected the reasoning because Qbuzz workers are part of the same pension fund as the other workers and will be affected by changes in the pension fund.
English: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/10/public-transport-workers.

Trade unions and employer organisations have reached an agreement in the so-called `Group of Ten' on the difficult question of workplace pension schemes and a number of other pending issues. If the deal is implemented the guaranteed minimum interest for workplace pensions will fall to 1.75% (from an actual the minimum rate of 3.25% for employee and 3.75% for employer contributions). However, this figure could increase depending on the long-term interest rate. A maximum figure of 3.75% has been set.
English: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Economy/1.2469377

Parliament has adopted the first set of amendments to the labour code and accompanying laws meant to create a more liberalised labour market. The so-called new social model, which trade unions are mobilising against (as reported in last month's newsletter), would significantly reduce workers' legal protection. The proposed Labour Code, amongst others, would lower wages by no longer paying overtime, while simultaneously requiring employees to work mandatory overtime. The law raises the maximum weekly working hours to 60 hours per week and makes it easier as well as cheaper for employers to fire workers. The new social model includes 7 main and 27 accompanying laws that are being debated in Parliament and will be tabled in the plenary session on 24 November 2015 for adoption.
English: http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/politics/labour-code-reform-package.

Postal service throughout the country was restored after postal workers agreed to go back to work pending new round of talks on wages and rosters. Thirty workers handling An Post's automatic sorting machines, which handle 80% of the total mail, went on strike over new work rosters. The contractor that handles the machines, IO Systems, has been attempting to change work rosters from seven days of 12-hour shifts to five days of eight-hour shifts. Trade unions have said the change will lead to 22% reduction in pay for some workers. An IO Systems representative initially said that the conflict had dragged on for years and been referred to the Labour Court three times, which ruled in favour of IO Systems in each case. However, the massive disruption of postal services has forced the partners back to the table. The workers agreed to go back to work on the old work roster and wages, pending a new round of talks. Trade union CWU, the union representing workers at the centre of the row that halted the country's postal service for days, later on accepted proposals aimed at resolving the dispute.
English: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/union-urges-postal-workers.