According to a report of the Christian social security institution there is a direct link between sickness and poverty. People that live in poverty have a sickness risk that is 21% higher than those living in wealth. Based on several statistics and social stratification data the organisation calculated the risks and found that the lower the socio-economic position of a person the poorer his or her health situation and the lower his or her life expectation.
English: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Health%2Band%2BEnvironment.
Data set (in Dutch): https://www.cm.be/binaries/gezondheidskloof_tcm375-162534.pdf
Data set (in French): http://www.mc.be/binaries/2015-10-12- annexes_tcm377-162608.pdf
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Four major trade unions have called two days of general strike following a brutal terrorist on the Ankara Work, Peace and Democracy rally. On 10 October, a terrorist attack hit an Ankara peace march organised by trade unions DISK, KESK, TMMOB and TTB, leaving around 100 people dead and many more injured. Police forces dispersed the rallying marchers after two bombs exploded, using tear gas and water cannons against crowds of people who came to pay their respect to the dead and leave flowers in the area. The trade unions have called for two days of general strike, demanding a thorough and transparent investigation into the massacre. Turkey has a history of violence targeted at trade union rallies, as reported in previous May newsletters, and carries tragic memories of the 1977 bloody May Day killings.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/industriall-condemns-brutal-terror-attack.
The government has released a final report on employment for 2014 produced by the Statistical Office. Detailed statistics reveal that the country is largely depending on commuters (53.3% of the workforce). Largest employer is the services sector (60% of the workforce), followed by the industrial sector (39%).
German: http://www.llv.li/files/as/beschaeftigungsstatistik-31-dezember-2014.pdf
The International Labour Organisation published an Issue Brief (No. 1) that contains an assessment of the differences in collective bargaining coverage for 75 countries. The authors note that collective bargaining has come under pressure in many countries since the financial crisis of 2008. This followed a longer-term decline in union membership rates. Countries in which collective bargaining coverage remained stable or increased are those that supported inclusive collective bargaining through a range of policy measures. Included are facts and figures on coverage rates, as a proportion of employees and total employment, related to gender, to the dominant bargaining level and to union density.
English: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/.
The national court defeated labour demands and allowed bottling plant Coca Cola Iberian to proceed with its downsizing plans. The ruling is the end of an extended legal and industrial dispute, reported in this newsletter between January 2014 and April 2015. After Coca Cola Iberian announced closing four of its eleven bottling plants and dismissing 850 workers, trade unions took the company to court. The first ruling was a trade union victory, ordering Coca Cola Iberian to reinstate the workers at the same wages, due to the company having violated the right to strike and failing to inform workers properly. After the ruling, however, the workers were reinstated at different positions from those they had held before the lay-offs. The unions took the company to court again to demand reinstatement of the workers to their previous position. The latest court ruling, however, allows Coca Cola Iberian to proceed with its restructuring plans and assign workers to different jobs.
English: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/business/international/coca-cola.
A strike of Paris garbage collectors has ended after an agreement was reached over wages. The refuse collectors went on a four-day strike over low wages. Shortly after, trade unions and the Paris municipality closed a deal including pay raises for certain workers and better promotion opportunities.
English: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/french-labour-tensions-ease-as-garbage.
Prosegur strike enters third week
October 2, 2015
Workers at security company Prosegur are on strike after management withdrew a risk bonus. The workers are paid a risk bonus due to the danger security guards face on the job. The security bonus was included in the annual leave pay, but was unilaterally withdrawn by management, who argued it had been a miscalculation. The guards went on strike demanding their proper pay and respect for the dangerous nature of their work. As the strike enters its third week, Prosegur is taking the workers to court, contesting the legality of the strike.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/prosegur-strike-enters-third-week-lyon
Social economic committee advises on posting
October 2, 2015
The economic, social and environmental council (CESE) was asked by the government to report on the situation of posted workers. In a report the result of their research and investigation has been published. The CESE states that the lack of proper enforcement has led to a weakening of workers' rights and to distortion of competition. The report formulates recommendations that might contribute to a better legal frame for posting and more guarantees for decent working conditions.
French: http://www.lecese.fr/travaux-publies/les-travailleurs-d-tach-s http://www.lecese.fr/sites/default/files/pdf/Avis/2015/2015_24_travailleurs.
Contract cleaners have reached a pay deal raising their hourly wages to €9.75. The workers clean premises of public and private enterprises, which contract out the cleaning work. They tend to work on insecure contracts and for low wages. Following a long Fair Deal for Cleaners Campaign, the sector now has a minimum wage of €9.75.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/irish-cleaners-win-a-pay-rise
Discount retailed Lidl has committed to paying its entire staff the living wage of €11.50 per hour. Some 20% of its staff, amounting to 700 of the 3800 employees, who are currently earning wages below the living wage, will start earning the living wage from 1 November onwards. The living wage is 30% above the national minimum wage, which is set at €8.65. Trade unions have welcomed the move, calling on other large employers to follow suit. However, not everyone has welcomed the pay rise, as farmers' associations fear the increased staff wages will result in even more aggressive pricing towards producers.
English: http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2015/1008/733219-lidl-living-wage/
A survey executed by Solidarnosc during this summer's heat wave, found truck drivers experienced appalling rest conditions. The union questioned 650 drivers, none of whom had had any daily or weekly rest away from their lorry that summer. Only 12 drivers had air conditioning in the cabin, but even those did not reap the benefits, because it had been disabled as soon as the motor was turned off. Temperatures in the cabin during rest time varied between 39 and 45 degrees Celsius in 97% of the cases.
English: http://www.etf-europe.org/etf-news-online.cfm/newsdetail/11220
The supermarket chain Lidl has reversed its position not to include workers in Northern Ireland in the pay rise it has awarded to workers in the rest of the UK. Last month, Lidl said it would introduce a living wage of £8.20 an hour, or £9.35 an hour in London. However, Northern Ireland staff workers were excluded. The company has added that a similar pay commitment is being made to staff in the Republic of Ireland.
English: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-34471260