Collective Bargaining

The metalworkers' trade unions held a 24-hours strike at ThyssenKrupp's Acciai Speciali Terni (Terni) in their fight against a drastic cost cutting plan. Thousands of people rallied in Terni against ThyssenKrupp's decision to impose layoffs to 537 workers. The trade unions of Cgil, Cisl and Uil have proclaimed the general strike and stopped all production activities of the city, while hundreds of people gathered in front of the gates of the factory.
English: http://lovesschool.com/terni-steelworks-workers-strike ...
http://www.industriall-europe.eu/news ...

Trade union OZ KOVO has started to offer free legal advice to non-members in the fight against precarious work. OZ KOVO organised an event in the city of Zilina, offering free legal advice on labour law application to raise awareness of labour law violations and precarious work. The event was accompanied by a rally against precarious work.
English: http://www.industriall-union.org/slovakia

A decision by the Board of Directors of the Rome Opera Theatre to dismiss all orchestra musicians and choir members has been met with international outrage. The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the International Federation of Actors (FIA), UNI - Media, Entertainment & Arts (UNI MEI) have called the decision "an act of cultural vandalism" and reiterated that no world class ensemble has been known to be able to exist on flexible contracts, nor has any theatre been able to establish a reputation without an in-house orchestra. The organisations are calling on the Board of Directors to reverse its decision.
English: http://www.iaea-globalunion.org ...

Teachers will organise a protest rally outside the Ministry of Education and Science. The teachers have been trying to negotiate a collective agreement with the ministry, which trade unions claim is stalling the process. Despite an agreement to solve the dispute via conciliation, the ministry has refused to sign an agreement on the intermediation conditions that is necessary to start the mediation process. Trade unions tabled demands on the right to a collective agreement for education, the reinstatement of education vouchers, raising salaries of pre-school teachers to match the level of secondary school teachers, and the improvement of the base monthly salary. The ministry neither reacted to the union demands, nor to the intermediation conditions.
English: http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/society/lithuanian-teachers-to-hold-protest-action ...

Opposition is growing on both sides of the Atlantic against the proposed trade deals between the European Union and Canada (CETA) and the EU and the US (TTIP).The European trade unions expressed their rejection during several national actions (see also our July Newsletter). The ETUC has stated that specific issues for trade unions on both sides of the Atlantic are the right to join a union and to collective bargaining, the creation of quality jobs, and the protection of public services and procurement. According to a FEPS economic review the TTIP agreement could become a tool of pursuing `market-conform' deregulation.
English: http://www.etuc.org/press/trade-union-lone-critical-voice-eu-us-trade-event ...
http://www.iuf.org/w/sites/default/files/TradeDealsThatThreatenDemocracy-e_0.pdf
http://www.feps-europe.eu/assets ...

Two years after the previous collective agreement expired, unions are consulting their members on a new deal. Negotiators from FNV and CNV trade unions have reached an agreement with regional government representatives, which includes a €450 lump sum payment, a 2% pay increase from 1 January 2015 and another 1% from 1 July 2015. The agreement includes further clauses on limiting the number of flex workers, pensions, assistance to find new jobs, training and career advice.
English: http://www.epsu.org/a/10825
Dutch: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/over-ons/nieuws ...

A survey commissioned by the trade union FOA reveals that only four of the nation's 70 councils will increase the amount of funds they spend in 2015 on taking care of the elderly. At least 38 councils will spend less on the elderly. FOA wants to see politicians put more demands on the councils to care for the elderly.
English: http://cphpost.dk/news/councils-to-spend-less-on-elderly-next-year ...

Social insurance data show that unemployment benefit payments fell by 11.3% in 2014 compared to the year before. Unemployment also fell and was at 15.4% in August, compared to 15.7% in July.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/10/14/unemployment-payments-down/

The Employers' Confederation has issued its third manifesto that calls for public consultations on the tax system, and the lowering of the state social security tax. The employers said that the country is no longer a country of cheap labour and that tax competition in the region is pretty sharp.
English: http://news.err.ee/v/politics ...

Police officers and employees in the security sector are to stage a protest over their cut social rights. The protest was announced by the trade union federation of police officers. The protest is organised in partnership with the trade union of prison workers, the Union of Officers and Sergeants from the Reserve and the National Association `Security'.
English: http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2014/10/14/351434/police-officers-in-bulgaria ...