Collective Bargaining

Eurofound, the Dublin based European agency, celebrates its 40th anniversary. The Yearbook 2014 titled Living and working in Europe summarises a lot of the work of the agency in the field of employment issues, workplace practices, sustainability and quality of life. The section on collective bargaining notes that, though decentralisation of collective bargaining has accelerated in the wake of the crisis, 60% of employees in private sector establishments with 10 employees or more are still covered by a collective wage agreement made at company, regional, sectoral or occupational level (or any combination of these levels where multiple interlinked agreements might be in place). The figure rises to 70% when national cross-sector agreements (such as in Italy, Finland or Spain) are considered.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites .

On May 19 the Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) overturned a government decree which set the minimum wage in the country at BGN 360-380. The lawsuit was launched by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), the Bulgarian Industrial Association - Union of the Bulgarian Business, and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). The organisations had challenged the ministerial decree on the minimum wage level in 2015, stressing that it had not undergone the mandatory coordination procedure at the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC). On the initiative of the government the NCTC met on 26 May to discuss the minimum wage proposals.
English: http://www.novinite.com/articles/168787/Bulgaria .

The leader of the bank employee trade union ETYK stated that the new Bank of Cyprus (BoC) must shed at least 20% of its staff to survive. ETYK had asked for a voluntary retirement plan but the absence of a CEO made it so far impossible to proceed. Other measures, like pay cuts, would also be necessary.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/05/26/boc-must-shed-20-per-cent-of-staff/

Pension negotiations regarding public service workers concluded with a proposal to gradually increase the current retirement age of 63 years to 65. This retirement age would apply to those born from 1955 onwards. If the proposal proceeds according to plan the reforms will come into force in 2017. The retirement age would rise gradually, by three months for each year from birth up until 65 years. When the retirement age of 65 years is reached by the cohort of retirees to whom this initial three month indexation applies, the plan is to continue to adjust the future minimum retirement age to reflect exponentially longer life expectancy.
English: http://yle.fi/uutiset/proposal_public_sector_employees .

A 24-hour strike of pilots and cabin crews at Italy's flagship carrier Alitalia hit the airline's entire network, except for operations at Bari, Brindisi and Genoa. The ANPAC union is asking for the company to confirm in writing that jobs won't be lost when a solidarity contract expires in February 2016.
English: http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/25/thousands-of-air-passengers-grounded .

The parliament passed a new act aimed at streamlining wage-bargaining and preventing small, localised industrial disputes, like the recent strikes by train drivers and pilots, from paralysing entire sectors. The act seeks to reintroduce the principle of `one company, one wage agreement', that was abandoned after a court decision in 2010. It settles rules for competing unions within the same company and job category in the case of a wage dispute. If the competing unions cannot agree, the union with the most members will become the sole partner to negotiate with management in an industrial dispute. The underlying idea is that it will force different trade unions in one company to act together instead of campaigning against each other. The proposal will go to the senate for final approval on 12 June. Though the act could strengthen their position, some DGB unions have principle reservations; they see it as an introduction of a ban on the right to strike.
English: http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/strike-hit-germany .
German: http://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/tarifeinheit-faq-101.html
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/tarifeinheitsgesetz-bundestag-schwaecht .

A report by the Supreme Medical Council (NRL) signals that the number of Polish doctors who received permits to work in other EU countries rose by 25 percent in 2014. It is calculated that the average age of medical specialists is now 55, following waves of emigration over the last decade. According to the study, specialists most likely to leave their homeland are anesthesiologists, pathologists, surgeons and radiologists. Young medics are lured to other countries by more lucrative pay and better working conditions.
English: http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/207744,Rise-in-young-medics-leaving-Poland

The Eiffel Tower was closed to the public for a day as workers protested against a rise in aggressive pickpockets around the Paris landmark that attracts thousands of visitors daily. It remained shut while staff held meetings about security measures. Trade unions said that there were always pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower but now workers are really facing an organised group. They asked for a permanent police presence.
English: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/eiffel-tower-shuts .

The police workers trade unions organised a noisy protest with sirens, horns and drums near the Binnenhof (the premises of parliament and government). The unions hope to put pressure on the cabinet and parliament to make more money available for a better collective agreement. Police officers are asking a 3% pay increase.
English: http://www.nltimes.nl/2015/05/21/police-line-up-in-parliament-protest/

The OECD-report In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All documents that income inequality has reached record highs in most OECD countries and remains at even higher levels in many emerging economies. The richest 10% of the population in the OECD now earn 9.6 times the income of the poorest 10%, up from 7:1 in the 1980s and 9:1 in the 2000s. The report also shows that wealth is even more concentrated at the top than income, exacerbating the overall disadvantage of low-income households. In 2012, the bottom 40% owned only 3% of total household wealth in the 18 OECD countries with comparable data. By contrast, the top 10% controlled half of all total household wealth and the wealthiest 1% owned 18%.
English: http://www.oecd.org/social/in-it-together-why-less-inequality-benefits-all .