The President of the Republic said he would veto a bill proposing to raise the salaries of members of Parliament by 14%. A row regarding deputies' salaries started when it became clear that the salaries of deputies and senators would automatically increase by 26% in January, unless a motion was passed specifying a different wage increase. The budget committee of the lower house then put forward a bill to raise salaries by 14% starting from 1 January 2015 that quickly gained support. The government, however, called the demand excessive and proposed a 3.5% increase, in line with the wage growth of public sector workers. After intensive parliamentary and public debate, parliament approved a bill, raising wages by 3%.
English: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/lower-house-approves-lawmakers-pay-raise
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/president-would-veto-a-14-percent-salary-hike ...
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The 2014/15 ILO Global Wage Report focuses on inequality. The authors find a trend of growing wage inequality and note that this `places a heavier burden on efforts to reduce inequality through taxes and transfers'. The report emphasises the importance of minimum wages, collective bargaining, paid employment and redistribution.
English: http://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/global-wage-report/2014 ...
The trade unions representing health care workers have decided not to sign an agreement on pay cuts and measures to bring in additional savings in the public sector in 2015 with the government. The deal that was recently reached enjoys the support of some 30 out of a total of 38 public sector trade unions and will most likely be implemented.
English: http://www.sta.si/en/vest ...
Railroad controllers organised a three day strike to protest against job losses and deteriorating working conditions as personnel is being replaced by computers. The general workers confederation CGT and the SUD-Rail Union have stated that the sector suffers from a systematic elimination of jobs, as selective ticket controls, ticket machines and modern technology is being introduced to cut staffing levels.
English: http://www.plenglish.com/index ...
A second Geneva transport strike was called off after the trade unions representing employees of the canton's public transport authority reached a deal with management. Drivers and technicians had threatened to walk off the job to protest planned job cuts and an austerity budget. The strike could be lifted after management pledged not to go ahead with a reduction of staff. The SEV trade union stated that the agreement reached assures there will be no layoffs related to the level of services between now and 2018 and no reduction in staff for 2015.
English: http://www.thelocal.ch/20141204/second-public-transport-strike-averted-in-geneva
In a first round of negotiations the trade unions GPA-djp and vida have concluded an agreement for the 100,000 workers in the private health and social care. As of 1 February 2015 wages will increase with 2.03%. Part of the agreement is the increase of the monthly minimum wage in the sector to 1,500 euro. In 2015 a wage differentiation over the regions will end; thus creating a unified wage scale for the whole country.
English: http://www.epsu.org/r/163
German: http://www.gpa-djp.at/cms ...
The building, industry and chemical workers union ACV/CSC-BIE, the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and IndustriALL Global Union met to discuss a global trade union strategy for the merger of cement producers Holcim and Lafarge. Unions from 22 countries will work together in confronting a merger that will take place in the first half of 2015 and is expected to lead to large scale restructuring. Union priorities are respect for collective bargaining, equal pay for equal work and decent working conditions.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/holcim-lafarge-no-merger-without-workers-rights
In 2015, it will be Denmark's turn to hold the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Presidency will concentrate on four themes designed to strengthen and focus the partnership: growth and employment, Nordic welfare, enhanced knowledge of Nordic values by bolstering the Nordic `brand', and a focus on the Arctic. The recent economic crisis poses challenges to social cohesion and underlines the need for new, up-to-date solutions. The Presidency wants to pay greater attention to the problem of inequality on the labour market via ongoing efforts to combat social dumping.
English: http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva ...
The European trade union federations EPSU and IndustriALL signed a European agreement with utility company GDF Suez regarding well-being at work in all its European offices. The agreement recognises the responsibility of GDF Suez and its management to look after the `physical, mental and social well-being' of all its employees. The agreement contains clauses on health and safety, professional development, work-life balance and gender equality.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/10965
Lufthansa pilots have organised the ninth strike of the year in a dispute over early retirement, reported in this newsletter. The first two days of the strike affected about 150,000 passengers of mainly short and medium haul flights, whereas the third day hit long haul flights. Lufthansa wants to abolish an early retirement scheme that allows pilots to retire at 60% of pay when they are 55 years. Pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has pointed out that pilots at British Airways and KLM enjoy similar programmes. Lufthansa management, in competition with low budget carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet, says it can no longer afford to maintain the scheme.
English: http://www.iol.co.za/business/companies/lufthansa-pilots-to-strike-again ...