Collective Bargaining

Trade unions have welcomed the new Industrial Relations Bill as strengthening workers and their representatives. Under the amended bill, trade unions will be allowed to represent workers at the Labour Court, even in cases where employers refuse to recognise them, in order to reach legally binding solutions. The bill also contains guidelines for the Labour Court to determine whether representative bodies are sufficiently independent of the employer.
English: http://www.impact.ie/new-collective-bargaining-legislation-vitally-important .
http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2015/othernews/fullstory .

Trade union Adedy has called a general strike against the terms of the bailout agreement reached between the Eurogroup and the Tspiras government. The agreement contains clauses that would make it easier for employers to layoff large groups of workers, as well as further privatisation of state assets.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/11573

Trade unions have called the draft Trade Union Bill presented by the government an outright attack on workers' rights. The Conservative government has submitted a bill in the Parliament that can seriously impede trade union rights in the public sector, first and foremost making it nearly impossible to take industrial action. The draft law intents to change the way trade union members are balloted over industrial action. Instead of counting all votes cast against and in favour, the bill sets out a policy in vital services to count abstentions and uncast votes as opposed to industrial action; the list of vital public services currently includes nurses, teachers, train drivers, border force staff, fire fighters and workers in nuclear decommissioning. In non-vital public services, a 50% turnout threshold is introduced. Furthermore, the law would limit any industrial action to a four month time period, after which a new ballot would be required, and the ballot needs to include a clear description of both the dispute and the planned actions.
English: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/key-public-sector-workers-face-ban .
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trade-union-strike-law-reforms-qa .

Ryanair is suing its baggage handlers from one trade union, who remain on strike after the other unions accepted a deal. A dispute broke out between Ryanair and four trade unions at Madrid's Barajas airport over low wages, late or underpayment of holiday allowances, lack of basis timetables for full-time workers and respect for the remuneration of medical visits. All unions declared a strike, which led to an agreement on employment conditions that was signed by UGT, CCOO and CGT on 12 June. Trade union CTA, however, did not accept the agreement and continued its strike actions. Ryanair, which has also found itself in court in disputes with Danish staff and is facing strike actions in Denmark and Sweden this month, is now trying to take legal action against these employees in the Madrid court.
English: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryanair-sues-its-spanish-staff . [close]

Social workers in Plovdiv held a one-hour warning strike while negotiations over wage increases are stalled. Social workers around the country have been asking for a 20% wage increase in order to be set on a par with other workers in the civil service. The workers furthermore demand, who are still printing their forms on dot-matrix printers from the 1980s, are asking for modern equipment. Little progress has been made in the negotiations; however, as the Social Assistance Agency claimed there is no money available in the budget to raise wages. Trade unions have announced further actions may follow.
English: http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2015/07/10 .

Handbag manufacturer SF leather, amongst others delivering products to luxury brand Mulberry, has fired fourteen workers for joining trade union Deriteks. The company has made it clear it does not intend to reinstate the workers and is additionally suing the fired workers and Deriteks for damages to its commercial interests, caused by the union's protest rally. Unions have appealed to Mulberry to intervene, but its headquarters have refused to comment, as the court case is ongoing.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/mulberry-must-act-now-at-turkish-supplier

Trade unions Seko and ST have announced they will be backing any Danish strike at Ryanair. Danish unions, as reported above, are in a conflict over the right to collective bargaining. Swedish unions have now said that if Ryanair diverts any planes from the Copenhagen and Billund airport strikes to Sweden, they will refuse to service the planes.
English: http://www.thelocal.se/20150708/swedish-unions-join-ryanair-strike-threat

Following long negotiations and intensive strike action, reported in the last newsletters, trade union Ver.di and Deutsche Post-DHL have reached an agreement over job security and wages. The dispute started when Deutsche Post announced it would re-employ letter and parcel delivery staff at regional subsidiaries against lower wages. Ver.di reacted by industrial actions, including a four week strike this summer, which led the parties back to the negotiation table. As a result, a deal was reached including job guarantees for all workers until the end of 2019 and a moratorium on outsourcing until the end of 2018. The agreement furthermore ensures that 4,500 employees who have been on fixed-term contracts for at least two years, will get permanent jobs and that all 2015 trainees and apprentices will be hired on a full time basis after completing the apprenticeship. While wage demands have not been fully met, the agreement does include a one-off payment on 1st October 2015, a 2 per cent increase on 1st October 2016 and an additional 1.7 percent increase on 1st October 2017.
English: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/news-events/news/2015/june/strike-wrests-job-security .

Trade unions from across the world have organised actions against workers' rights violation by Swiss mining giant Glencore. The actions, which were organised in front of Swiss embassies and consulates as well as the company's headquarters, called attention to workers' rights abused and union bashing going on at the company's holdings outside of Switzerland. The actions are accompanies by a people's initiative that aims to make Swiss companies legally responsible for abuses against labour rights and the environment taking place beyond the country's borders.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/switzerland-under-pressure-from-unions-worldwide .

International news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), headquartered in Paris, has announced it intends to cancel unilaterally the 117 collective agreements currently in force across the company's worldwide operations. Journalism unions EFJ and IFJ have called on its president, Emmanual Hoog, to review the decision. Working conditions of news redactions and other AFP employees around the world have been protected by collective agreements for decades. Six trade unions have called for a 24-hour work stoppage.
English: http://www.ifj.org/nc/news-single-view .
French: http://www.ifj.org/nc/fr/news-single-view .