Trade unions and employer organisations have settled a wage pact foreseeing a 1% pay increase in 2015 and 1.5% in 2016. The wage pact, which was signed by all parties on the national level, serves as a recommendation to the negotiators in the different sectors. While national level representatives agreed on these levels, they are not obligatory. While the recommendation usually sets the pace for collective agreement negotiations in the country, both employers and trade unions have expressed doubts that this will be the case in 2015, with trade unions calling on employers to honour the agreement.
Spanish: http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2015/05/11/actualidad .
http://www.deia.com/2015/05/15/economia/ccoo-y-ugt-recuerdan-que-el-pacto-es-vinculante
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The national public transport strike called by the independent trade union USB has had a varied impact. In Milan the prefect issued an injunction to prevent the strike in light of the need for transport infrastructure to facilitate visitors in the city for Expo 2015. In Rome the strike took place as scheduled, affecting buses, underground and trams for 24 hours with the exception of guaranteed service during commute hours from start of service until 8:30 am and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The USB called the strike against the Jobs Act (labour reform), savage privatisations, continuous raising of the retirement age, and severe penalties due to a national contract freeze going on eight years now.
English: http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/141965/National-transport-strike .
After a dramatic increase between 2007 and 2012, poverty decreased over the course of 2013 and 2014 from 26 percent to 23 percent. But, during this period the likelihood of families with three or more children, people over the age of 65, and households with only one wage earner or led by a single female parent living in poverty increased significantly. The findings are collected through a household monitor, which has employed the same methodology since 1992 to research the income and employment of the population as well as the structure of its expenditures. 16.6% of the population (1.6-1.7 million people) lived in 2014 in poverty, meaning that the net income of the household did not exceed HUF 78,000 a month. In this regard, no significant improvement took place between 2012 and 2014.
English: http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/tarki-poverty-in-hungary-decreased .
Workers at public television broadcaster ITV have staged a 24 hour strike. The workers have rejected the company's 2% wage offer, which they have said is out of line with the 39% after-taxes profit that ITV made in 2014. Trade unionists furthermore said the wage offer falls behind the increased costs of living and is unacceptably meagre in the face of large bonuses being paid out to management.
English: http://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2015/05/15/uk-itv-journalists-on-strike-for-fair .
Drivers of the publicly owned bus company Carris went on strike over its planned privatisation. With nearly 80% of drivers participating in the strike and only minimum services being guaranteed, media report a mere 151 of the scheduled 491 buses were in operation. The drivers are protesting against the privatisation of the company, which is currently under way in an attempt to address the state's deficit.
English: http://www.laprensasa.com/309_america-in-english/3103284_lisbon-strike .
Trade unions have started an initiative to raise the minimum wage. Choosing the parliamentary road, the union have initiated a legislative procedure to force a minimum wage hike. Unions have argued for a long time that the minimum wage is too low, but have not enjoyed any successes with traditional organising and negotiation methods.
English: https://english.sta.si/2135035/unions-file-minimum-wage-initiative
A strike called by the football players union AFE was suspended by court order, allowing the last matches that will decide the outcome of this season's primera division to go ahead. The strike was called as the government, football league, football federation and players union are fighting out a battle over television rights. Television rights are currently sold individually by the clubs, resulting in the bulk of the money going to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. A new law, approved by the lower house, will implement a system under which the rights are sold collectively and then distributed across the league, federation and clubs in the primera and segunda division. Players union AFE called a strike after being excluded from negotiations, as well as arguing that smaller clubs and their players will not receive a fair share. The strike, which would have cancelled the upcoming matches Barcelona-Atletico and Real Madrid-Espanyol, was banned by court order after the Football League filed a law suit. The court argued that the strike could not be held during the season, because it would impede the clubs' ability to comply with its obligations in European football.
English: http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/sport/national/12951499.Spanish_football .
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/spanish-court-set-rule-league-strike ...
Trade union GWU ordered a strike of bus drivers after accusing the Malta Public Transport management of not abiding by the terms of a deal reached in April. A row sparked in April, as reported in last month's newsletter, when management announced it would no longer be paying salaries for hours employees were scheduled to work but during which no work was available. In a deal reached on 30 April, the company promised to pay back payroll deductions that had been made off drivers' and engineers' salaries mid-May. GWU ordered a strike, cancelling over 70 routes, after claiming the promised payments had not been made. Malta Public Transport insists it transferred the deductions.
English: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/52959/bus_strike .
The mayor and councillors of Bratislava borough Vrakuna have threatened to go on strike unless the ecological hazards are addressed. On the outskirts of the town lies the waste dump of the former Juraj Dimitrov Chemical Plant (CHZJD), which has been suspected to pose significant health and environmental risks. A report on the waste dump is expected to be released soon. The report will outline the extent of the danger as well as those responsible for cleaning it up. The borough's mayor and councillors have now said they will expect immediate action and are prepared to go on strike if the government delays the process.
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20057334/workers-for-bratislava-borough-vrakuna-announce .
Staff of the government's social inclusion agency went on strike over the agency's autonomy and independence. The conflict started when Human Rights minister Jiri Dienstbier dismissed the agency's director and staff announced the strike after talks with led to nothing. Up to 59 of the 70 staff members signed up for the strike. The minister said in a statement that he cannot comply with the demands and that they agency cannot expect to be fully autonomous while continuing to be entirely financed from government funds. Core of the disagreement is the staff's demands to elect their own director. The staff furthermore demands a resolution in Parliament guaranteeing the continuation of the agency's mandate and its independence. Days after the start of the strike, industrial action was temporarily suspended when Prime Minister Sobotka agreed to meet with the protesters.
English: http://praguemonitor.com/2015/05/13/agency-social-inclusion-staff-suspend-strike
http://praguemonitor.com/2015/05/12/most-staff-government-agency-social-inclusion-strike
http://praguemonitor.com/2015/05/11/social-inclusion-agency-go-strike-monday