The International Monetary Fund has (again) directly intervened in a debate that is going on in Italy on the need to reform the labour market. The IMF backed up the reforms planned by the Renzi-government. Trade union FIOM stated that it is ready to stage a demonstration on October 18 as well as an eight-hour strike in future over proposed government changes to labour protections in Article 18 of the 1970 Worker's Statute. Under the change the government is proposing, newly hired workers would be given compensation, instead of being rehired, if a court rules they were unjustly dismissed - unless discrimination was the reason for the sacking. The trade union confederation CGIL said that the unions are ready to go on strike repeating threats made earlier this month when draft legislation began its passage through Parliament.
English: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140930/world/Italy-unions ...
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/109105/FIOM-union-calls-demo-for-October-18 ...
http://www.thelocal.it/20140919/italy-must-overhaul-its-job-market-imf
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The General Workers' Union reported that incidents of physical and verbal abuse against drivers are on the rise. The debate was stoked by a report about a Nigerian bus driver who was attacked by a motorist and had to be treated at a health centre after being punched three times in the face. His colleagues said that such cases are becoming increasingly common. Drivers vented their frustration that they were being left alone to face awkward situations.
English: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140930/local/bus-firm-denies ...
The publication `Employment, wages and salaries in national economy 1st half of 2014' that can be downloaded from the governmental portal presents the current changes on the labour market regarding the number of the employed in large and medium units and the work time of employees, as well as the number of the unemployed registered in labour offices. Also presented are data on the level of average nominal earnings in the national economy and real wages indicators, as well as information concerning the number of permits for work, granted to foreigners. Average monthly gross wages increased by 3.9% compared to the same period of last year.
English: http://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/labour-salaries/employment-wages-and-salaries ...
The European trade union federation industriAll published a study that analyses the impact of the crisis on wage developments and collective bargaining in European manufacturing. The report includes a quantitative analysis of the development of employment, working hours and wages for the period 2000-2011. It evaluates existing data on collectively-agreed wages and contains a qualitative analysis of the main trends and key tendencies in the bargaining system.
English: http://www.industriall-europe.eu/committees/cb/2014 ...
German: http://www.industriall-europe.eu/committees/cb/2014 ...
French: http://www.industriall-europe.eu/committees/cb/2014 ...
Bus company Strætó told its bus drivers that complaining about an on-board video camera policy will lead to termination. Employees reported that their work environment is bad, and that their union deals with many complaints. Drivers are placed under a great deal of pressure, and their supervisors are reportedly out of touch with their own workers.
English: http://grapevine.is/news/2014/09/28/bus-drivers-told-they-will-be-fired ...
Negotiations between the social partners concerning the pension reform have ended with several agreed changes to the existing system. The agreement was signed by two of the three trade union confederations. The minimum retirement age will be raised gradually from 63 to 65 for persons born after 1955. Also, the system of accumulation of pensions will change. In the new agreement the pension accrual will be 1.5 % in a year of employees' entire earnings throughout a working career between the ages of 17 and 65.
English: http://heikkijokinen.info/en/trade-union-news-from-finland ...
A full scale strike by Air France pilots entered its second week, potentially making it the longest pilot strike since 1998, before a deal was reached. The trade union Spaf, which won the second biggest number of votes in elections of representatives of personnel on works councils, announced early September it was backing the SNPL trade union strike call for 15-18 September (see our Newsletter of July/August), bring mobilisation up to 75% according to the unions or 60% according to Air France management. As Air France reorganises in order to face up to competition from low-cost airlines, the trade unions wanted a single contract for pilots working on planes run by Air France, its regional carrier Hop! and its low-cost branch Transavia. Management wanted to expand the Transavia routes, whose pilots and crews are paid less than their Air France counterparts. The unions rejected offers from Air France to limit the expansion to 30 planes by 2019 instead of 37 and to temporarily suspend Transavia routes to and from Paris, Lyon, Nantes and Toulouse. Transavia pilots earn about 40% less than Air France pilots, who make an average of €75,000 per annum.
English: http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/air-france-pilots-union-ends-strike ...
http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france/20140905-second-pilots-union-joins ...
Lufthansa that is seeking to expand low-cost services has to face opposition from the trade unions. The airline has been locked in a dispute with the Vereinigung Cockpit union over an early retirement scheme. The main item in this dispute is the planned change of the existing retirement scheme. Actually Lufthansa, Germanwings and Lufthansa Cargo pilots (in total 5.400) leave the company with an early retirement provision at the (average) age of 59 years. The company wants to lift this up to 61 years. Pilots at Lufthansa's budget carrier Germanwings went on strike earlier on over the plans. The company is considering renting out the A340s earmarked for long-haul low-cost services to Switzerland-based PrivateAir and leasing them back with Swiss pilots who are not subject to its collective agreements. This is an unprecedented move after failing to reach an agreement with trade union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) that would also have required the planes' pilots to work longer hours before receiving overtime benefits. The pilots are threatening a fifth strike in a row so far this year. Earlier this month a pilots' strike led to the cancellation of 200 flights and hit the travel plans of about 25,000 passengers.
English: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/09/28/lufthansa-strategy ...
Focus on the strike (in German): http://www.spiegel.de/thema/lufthansa_streik/
Over the past five years wages have shrunk, with average annual earnings down by about €1,000 since 2009. More people are finding it harder, not easier, to make ends meet. One in five workers is earning less than the `living wage', a sum above the minimum wage but below what campaigners consider to be enough to make ends meet. One in six people in poverty has a job, a figure that has grown during the recession. A group of campaigners, trade unions and think tanks has put forward a proposal for a living wage of €11.45 per hour. It estimated that this is the minimum needed to maintain an acceptable standard of living.
English: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/the-living-wage-should ...
The trade union confederation ÖGB wants a substantial reduction in taxes on all workers and employees. In addition, reform of the overall tax structure is required in order to bring greater fairness into the domestic tax system. In 2012, the average tax rate on work was 41.5% - the third highest level in the whole of the EU and well above the EU average of 36.1%. And while Austrian taxes on work are way above average, workers on low and medium incomes are particularly hard hit. According to the ÖGB the starting tax rate of 36.5% (on annual income of EUR 11,000 and upwards) is far too high, especially in comparison with corporation tax and capital gains tax with a flat rate of 25% - regardless of the tax base.
English: https://usilive.org/austrian-unions-campaign-for-a-reduction-of-income-tax/