Collective Bargaining

Workers in the banking sector prepare for strikes after the talks on the renewal of their collective agreement broke down. The trade unions have not yet decided when the strikes will take place. They are planning other forms of protest, including a boycott of overtime. Union leaders have decided to take legal action if the Italian Banking Association (ABI) stops applying the existing collective agreement following the breakdown of negotiations.
English: http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/134433/Bank-unions-declare-two-days ...

The Bus and tram services of the Flemish local transport company De Lijn were disrupted in a number of places across Flanders. The protest coincided with a big demonstration against government austerity in Antwerp. Apart from bus services, municipal day care centres, libraries and swimming baths were hit. The disruption is a result of industrial action by the socialist public sector trade union, the ACOD. The union has called for a general strike on Wednesday 22 April.
English: http://www.expatica.com/be/news/features/Flander-Strike-hits-buses-and-trams ...

Members of the association of trade unions of education workers have suspended classes in a protest against reduced salaries. Some education workers had received unreduced salaries, while some had received pay reduced by 33 percent, in line with the Education Ministry's request. The reduction in the pay depends on the schools' principals and the schools' administration, which has caused chaos. The unions have been on strike since 17 November 2014, by shortening classes to 30 minutes.
English: http://inserbia.info/today/2015/03/teachers-strike-classes-suspended ...

A campaign group called Sherpa, referring herewith to the many Nepalese workers on site, has filed a legal complaint against construction giant Vinci for grave mistreatment of migrant workers and forced labour in Qatar, the host country of the 2022 World Cup. Sherpa declared to have testimonies claiming that migrants worked an average of 66 hours per week, lived as many as eight to a room, and operated in `difficult even dangerous' conditions and in `stifling heat'. The complaint, if acted upon by French prosecutors, could increase pressure on Qatar and companies engaged there to improve conditions for migrant workers.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/24/us-vinci-qatar-labour-conditions ...

At least once a year the cleaning workers at the Regional Hospital of Randers put down mops and dusters to undergo supplementary training. The hospital's unique training scheme for cleaning staff has now earned it a place - as the only Danish hospital - in an EU project that aims to develop European standards for hospital staff training. In the FOA trade union magazine for cleaners it was said that hospital cleaning staff have become highly skilled workers. Keeping such a high level of training is only possible, because the hospital employs its own cleaning staff (currently 150 out of a total staff of 1,800).
English: http://www.europeancleaningjournal.com/magazine/articles/latest-news/danish ...

New strikes by Lufthansa pilots have grounded over 700 flights and affects over 200,000 passengers. The pilots, as reported in previous newsletter, are in an ongoing dispute with Lufthansa management over the early retirement package. Four days of strikes were organised started from 18 March. Further strikes have been announced for April.
English: http://www.dw.de/lufthansa-flights-back-to-normal-after-pilots-strike ...

Vineyard and winery workers at Epernay's famous champagne houses went on strike demanding to share in 2014 profits. The region recently announced a record sales of €4.5 billion in 2014, while workers have not seen any wage increases. Trade unions report 80% of the 3900 unionised workers joined the strike, filling up the Avenue de Champagne. The workers are demanding a profit sharing mechanism as well as improvement of working conditions.
English: http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2015/03/champagne-protesters-take-to-the-streets

An initiative by the NGO Friends of Europe has led to a report by an expert group that pleads for a more caring Europe. The report assesses the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the social policies that have been fundamental to the creation of the European Union. On the basis of these findings, the group recommends to the European Commission and the EU institutions actions both to reaffirm Europe's social principles and to address its competitiveness goals. One of the recommendations is that the EU should invest in the social partners' capacity to play a more meaningful role, for instance by revisiting the role of the tripartite summit, rather than persistently emphasising that collective bargaining needs to be decentralised. Europe also has to consider the gradual introduction of `a guaranteed wage floor'.
English: http://www.friendsofeurope.org/media/uploads/2015/02/Social-Report-2015-WEB.pdf

The heavily-indebted national railway operator Slovenske zeleznice (SZ) plans to cut 740 jobs by the end of the year and spend 20 million euros on severance payments. An agreement between the social partners rules that workers must receive severance payments equivalent to 12 months' pay. The company says it wants to streamline its operations, but at the same time it keeps hiring new employees.
English: http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/state-railway-company-s-staffing-problems ...

Trade unions representing 10,000 home helps in the Madrid region have called a strike for 6 April. The sector's employers' organisation ASEMAD and trade unions have been negotiating a collective agreement for the helps, who provide care to around 50,000 homes. On 17 March, ASEMAD made its final offer including a pay and seniority freeze for 2015, a 0.3% increase in 2016 and an increase of the working week by half an hour. Trade unions are outraged by the offer, which falls even short of the national employers' proposal of 0.9%, and have announced the start of an indefinite strike.
English: http://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/madrid-home-help-workers-go-indefinite-strike ...