Collective Bargaining

A report by Foundation 1º de Mayo (Coordinator, Spain); Institute For Social And Trade Union Research (Bulgaria); Institute of Social and Economic Researches (France); Association Bruno Trentin (Italy); and Labour Institute of Greek General Confederation of Labour (Greece) states that EU economic governance during the crisis has negatively affected collective bargaining. The authors argue that in the member states that are dealing with large deficits, EU economic governance has put downward pressure on wages agreed in collective agreements, as well as negatively affected the collective bargaining process.
English: http://www.1mayo.ccoo.es/nova/files ...

The Rome Opera House cancelled its decision, reported in the October newsletter, to dismiss all of the institution's 182 musicians and choir members. An agreement signed between unions and management, and approved by 97% of the staff, saves the jobs of the Rome Opera House artists. The Opera House wanted to lay off its entire in-house orchestra in order to cut back on costs, which was met with national and international outrage. The agreement makes provisions for a saving of €1.5 million, but saves the jobs.
English: http://www.fim-musicians.org/rome-opera-end-of-conflict

Voters in Switzerland have decisively rejected a proposal to introduce severe immigration quotas. The trade unions campaigned against the initiative that was advocated by the so-called Ecopop group. It sought to limit immigration to 0.2% of net population growth - effectively about 16,000 people annually. Over the past few years, net immigration was about 80,000 people on average. The country's 26 cantons rejected the proposal, with about 74% of people voting no in the referendum. In the weeks before the referendum observers found it difficult to judge how the 30 November vote would swing.
English: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe ...
http://www.dw.de/switzerland-tackles-immigration-yet-again ...
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/-ecopop-campaign-takes-to-the-streets ...

Wholesale giant METRO Cash & Carry is closing down its last two remaining stores at locations in Aarhus and Glostrup and dismissing 300 employees. According to the company, a deal with Euro Cater, which could have saved the employees' jobs, fell through. Metro that opened its first store in Glostrup in 1971 announced in September 2014 it would close its five Danish stores because they were no longer profitable. Almost simultaneously, the Danish arm of the company chain Build-A-Bear, which gives customers the chance to put together their own teddy bear, has gone bankrupt. The company's Danish website has gone offline and all of its shops, with the exception of the one next to Tivoli, have closed down. At its height in 2010, the chain had ten shops, making it the fourth biggest Build-A-Bear country at that time in terms of the number of retail locations. At the time of the bankruptcy, a total of five shops was still open.
English: http://cphpost.dk/news/metro-wholesalers-laying-off-300-employees.11838.html
http://cphpost.dk/news/bear-market-american-retailer-wiped-out-in-denmark.11825.html

The statistical office has updated the overview of average wages. The figures are based on the average monthly earnings in a series of sectors and illustrate the wage gap between men and women in the public and private sector.
English: http://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize ...

The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions representing civil servants have filed an appeal with the courts over the government's freeze on contracts, including pay increases, for public-sector workers. The unions said proceedings are beginning at the Court of Rome level but they expect the case will reach the Constitutional Court for a ruling on the unions' challenge to the legitimacy of the government freeze. More than one year ago, unions warned of social conflict over the freeze on contracts that dates back to 2010.Earlier this month tens of thousands of public service workers marched through Rome to demand that the government give them better pay and a new contract and take measures to boost employment. The demonstrators demanded higher salaries and a new national contract for the sector, which has not been renewed for four years.
English: http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/118432/Unions-take-freeze-on-civil ...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2826516/Italian-civil-service-workers-march ...

More than 40 legal proceedings are underway against trade unionists who took part in general or sector-wide strikes protesting against the austerity measures imposed by the Spanish government. The two main trade union confederations, CC.OO. and the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), have denounced the criminal prosecution of trade unionists before the Public Prosecution Service and the courts. Some 300 trade unionists are currently facing administrative and penal proceedings.
English: http://www.equaltimes.org/spain-where-trade-union-leaders ...

The Bohemian and Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) devoted an assembly to the 25th anniversary of the general strike that made the regime tumble. But, people are still afraid to join the trade unions even after 25 years of their life in freedom. Whilst the trade union thanked the actual government for a readiness for dialogue and growth in the minimum wage it criticised the government over disputes of ministers, the civil service law and increase in salaries of top state officials. The prime minister announced that the minimum wage will be raised by 700 crowns to 9,200 crowns (?334) as of January 2015.
English: http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/general-strike-toppled-communist-regime ...

Despite a slowing down of the economy the number of jobless people has dropped significantly. There were 2.717 million unemployed people in November 2014, 16,000 less than the previous month and 89,000 fewer than at the same time in 2013. The unemployment rate - which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole - was steady at 6.6% in seasonally adjusted terms.
English: http://www.dw.de/german-unemployment-hits-three-year-low ...

The Federal Administrative Court ruled that the state of Hesse overstepped its bounds when legislating more allowances for firms to operate, and thus force employees to work, on Sundays and bank holidays. According to the ruling, there was no need for video rental shops or call centres to be open on Sundays and it was not up to a state government to decide that. The decision will have implications across the country, as other states have similar laws. The case stems from a 2011 decision by the state of Hesse to allow broader exceptions to labour laws regulating who has to work on Sundays. The trade unions that brought the case to the court called the verdict a very positive success. They stated that the local government overstepped its bounds when forcing more people to work on Sundays.
English: http://www.thelocal.de/20141127/court-to-rule-on-labouring-sundays