Collective Bargaining

The trade union action that was announced in the engineering company PPS Group Detva has been cancelled thanks to an agreement between the unions and the company's leadership on an across-the-board pay rise of €25 per month and on retaining all social benefits. The salary rise represents an increase from 2.6 to 5.9% depending on the pay grid. The resulting basic monthly salary will be €450.58 (excluding bonuses).
English: http://spectator.sme.sk/articles ...

The organisation of small shop owners (POVEK) has appealed to the head of the Church of Cyprus to use his influence to change the opening hours of shops. POVEK said it has received many complaints from shop owners and employees that beyond other problems, the `inhumane' hours limited the ability to exercise their religious rights. The organisation said that, according to the law issued by the government in July 2013, shops are allowed to remain open until 8pm, and 6pm on Friday and Saturday during the ten days before Easter. The act extending shop hours allows staying open for longer, including Wednesday afternoons and Sundays.
English: http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/04/11/late-shop-hours-not-christian-like/

According to the country specific social indicators in the OECD-report Society at a Glance 2014 real public social expenditure dropped by 11% between 2007/08 and 2012/13. Social spending as a percentage of GDP has declined to a level slightly below the OECD average. The average disposable income is among the lowest within the OECD. And although relative poverty is low, with a poverty rate of 6.8% (compared with the OECD average of 11.3%), the share of the population reporting that they cannot afford to buy sufficient food has increased more than in any other OECD country.
English: http://budapesttimes.hu/2014/04/11/fact-and-fiction/

On `Equal Pay Day', an initiative of the Ministry of Social Affairs, debates took place on the gender gap. In Estonia, women earn on average 30% less than men - the greatest difference in salaries in the European Union. The pay gap affects the quality of life and in the future as it has consequences for the pension benefits. There are several reasons for the gender gap; there is a link with the unequal distribution according to gender in education and the labour market, difficulties in combining work with family life, and outdated pension practices.
English: http://news.err.ee/v/economy ...

Following five general strikes in 2013, the first general strike of 2014 was held on 9 April. The strike disrupted all train and maritime transport in the country, while airports remained open. The protests were staged as the country negotiates another rescue package and rumours emerge that further public sector layoffs and restrictions to the right to strike may be expected.
English: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greeks-strike-against-more-eu-imf-reforms ...

Deutsche Telekom quickly reached a two-year wage deal for about 72,000 of its workers, avoiding drawn-out negotiations which could have hampered the roll-out of its high-speed fibre optic broadband network. Effective 1 April 2014, about three-quarters of its workers will get a 2.9% or a 2.5% pay rise, depending on their position. As of 1 February 2015 all 72,000 workers will receive another 2.1% wage increase.
English: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/09/deutschetelekom-unions ...

Employers' organisations and trade unions have signed a legally binding collective agreement that will require employers to make sure staff `disconnect' outside of working hours. The deal obliges staff to disconnect from work calls and emails after working hours to ensure they receive the full minimum rest periods already mandated in national employment regulations but there is no particular time at which they are required to do so. Under the deal, which affects directly around 250,000 employees in the technology and consultancy sectors (including the French arms of Google, Facebook, Deloitte and PwC), employees will also have to resist the temptation to look at work-related material on their computers or smartphones. Companies must ensure that their employees come under no pressure to do so. In the British press this has led to an exposure of the most hackneyed clich‚s about France
English: http://www.theguardian.com/money/shortcuts ...
http://www.thelocal.fr/20140411/france-emails-ban-6pm-35-hour-week

The state-owned airline has not yet reached a deal on a new collective agreement with its pilots, although the previous contract expired on 1 February 2014. Central question in the negotiations is salary increases, with pilots asking for a 40% increase over the next three years. The Airline Pilots Association stated that the company only offered a 1% increase for the next three years, adding that for them, the main question is the organisation of work and rest periods and system of promotions. These are similar problems that plagued the negotiations at the end of 2012 when a strike was narrowly averted.
English: http://news.err.ee/v/economy ...

The editor of the report Macroeconomic Analysis and Trends commented on recent statements that pensions will have to be cut. He stated that it is no correct that the IMF is requesting from the Serbian government to reduce salaries and pensions as the media reported. However, a member of the government's fiscal council said that layoffs could begin in the government sector in 2014 in order to save the by the IMF requested 400 million euro in the budget.
English: http://www.eurasiareview.com/02032014-russia-workers-fall-victim ...

Municipal staff in Gothenburg will act as guinea pigs in a proposed push for six-hour workdays with full pay, with hopes that it will cut down on sick leave, boost efficiency, and ultimately save money. The municipal council will use two different departments - a test group and a control group. Staff in one section will cut down to six-hour days, while their colleagues in a different section stick to the ordinary forty-hour week. All employees will be given the same pay.
English: http://www.thelocal.se/20140408/swedish-workers-to-test-six-hour-work-days